Luck of the Draw
by FlamencoPenguin
Summary: Sasunaru AU: 'Luck of the Draw' dating agency always makes its matches. Sasuke and Naruto are both a bit wary, of dating, love, and the pink agency. Nonetheless, they might just become the latest match all the same.
1. Chapter 1

**Luck of the Draw**

Luck of the Draw (1/3)

Disclaimer: Naruto is certainly not my property. I do own the plot as far as I know :).

AN: By the way, was misbehaving big time while I was trying to post this, so if you spot any errors, I can almost guarantee that they're not completely my fault!

* * *

"You've got to be kidding me." 

"Please Sasuke? You know that I would do anything for you. I really don't want to go in there alone. Can't you be, I don't know, emotionally supportive of me here?"

"Sakura…"

"Okay, so maybe that was stretching it a little. But, it would really mean a lot to me if you would go in with me." Sasuke rolled his eyes at the clichéd phrase, but he could feel his inner resentments and hardened resolve dissolving at the sight of the girl's worried posture. But honestly, a –

"It's only a dating service company! Please, Sasuke! None of the guys at work are appealing to me and I haven't found anyone in a long time. I know this sounds silly, but I want to try it." Sasuke sighed. It _was_ true, not that he understood why. Sakura was bright, pretty, had a job, and a nice sense of humor. However, he had not seen her with anyone serious for quite some time.

And they were friends. And he did sort of owe her for covering for him during the Incident with the Evil Goat at the Zoo. He shuddered.

"Whatever. I'll go with you to this place, _just_ so that you stop whining." He said the last with a smirk that grew in response to her ensuing pout.

"Maybe," she began with an answering smirk of her own, "you'll find someone for yourself. God knows you haven't been with anyone seriously since… well, when was it? Ever?" she asked with wide innocent eyes and a sadistic grin. He spluttered.

"Sakura! I just- well. Never mind. I don't need to explain my dating history to you" he sniffed and tried to pretend he didn't notice Sakura laughing at him behind her hand.

"Besides, Sakura, does this company even cater to people of my preferences?" he said at last. Only a slight blush on his cheeks belied his distaste in talking about his sexual orientation so openly.

"In fact, Sasuke, they do. It said on the flyer that they are open to people of all sexual orientations from ages eighteen twenty-six. They instruct everyone inside in how to show what you're looking for." She said all this without directly looking into his face. And then it hit him.

"You planned all of this ahead of time, didn't you? You planned that I would be coming with you and therefore you looked for a company that advertised for both straight and gay customers." He stared at her expectantly, and sure enough, her face began to flush guiltily.

"Maybe…"

"Sakura…" he sighed, torn between exasperation and fondness. The latter won in the end.

"Sometimes…" he stared over her shoulder and paused for an inordinate length of time. He smirked as she fidgeted.

"Sometimes, I'm very glad you are not an enemy." Sakura perked up at his words and she laughed, giving him a quick punch in the arm for making her suffer.

"Jerk. You know I could never hurt you. This is for your own good, Sasuke. Who knows! Maybe you'll actually find someone you like and you'll fall desperately in love with him," she said with a grin.

"Not going to happen, Sakura. You'll see." She shook her head and continued to grin. Someday, love was going to knock her friend flat on his ass. Then he might take back those words. And perhaps treat her to dinner at that nice five star place she liked so much when he remembered who instigated it. She smirked to herself.

Ten minutes later, she was pulling him away from a parking lot and towards the rented storehouse where the meeting of 'Luck of the Draw' would commence in twenty minutes. Sasuke let himself be dragged with minimal fuss and prepared himself internally for what he imagined to be the chaos of the dating spheres

* * *

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Naruto looked at the sign warily. 'Luck of the Draw' had seemed like such a good idea when he was in his apartment eating ice-cream and wishing he had someone special to share it with. He had buddies, but having friends to hang out with and having someone special to share things with were two very different things. His friends all had someone too, making it all the more lonesome when they spent time together. In their happy couplehood, none of them seemed to remember the long nights and ceaseless troubles associated with the single life and the dating world. 

Seeing the flyer at the gym where he worked had seemed like a sign from above. It was also open to both males and females of different sexual orientations – something that suited Naruto just fine. At twenty-two years of age, he had been open as a bisexual for the past six years and had dated several people of both sexes. Some of his dates had felt intimidated by his bisexuality, and others felt – inaccurately – that it would cause his eyes to wander more than any other man. And then, he remembered with a scowl, there was that one bastard who thought that it was an invitation to have an "open" relationship.

But despite relative success in the past, here he was. Single again. Nothing seemed to stick and he'd be lying if he said that it did not hurt just a little bit. Sometimes he found himself becoming irrationally jealous of young lovers he saw around town, and he even caught himself snapping at his friends. Yes, it was time to have a solid relationship. He did not like to think that he was dependent on lovers to make him happy, but all the same… It would be nice to have someone to come home to other than his kitten Mr. Spiky. And someone in his bed…

Despite his interest in finding someone and the appeal of the flyer at the gym, Naruto could not help himself from having second thoughts. The appearance of the sign was certainly not helping his last minute worries. It was pink. Hot pink. With glitter on the edges and puffy red paint that spelled, "Welcome to Luck of the Draw! Come on in and show us your hand". Someone had thoughtfully glued playing cards under the word 'hand' to make the metaphor painfully obvious. Valentine hearts of different colors floated amongst the words and glitter.

Naruto inhaled and let it out slowly. He knew as well as anyone that appearances could be deceiving. Maybe this was a false front to something truly awesome, and the flyer at the gym really had seemed organized and put together. He also considered that maybe he was making too big a deal over the sign in an attempt to talk himself out of this. He hated to think that he had to resort to something like this to find love. And, he thought ruefully, he had watched enough TV to be more than a little paranoid of dating services.

He looked at his watch to see how early he was. Five minutes. The perfect time to make an appearance. Taking another deep breath, he grasped the handle, turned it, and pushed his way in.

"Oh…my," he said in bewilderment. The room was carefully organized. Fifteen tables were placed in three rows of five. They were spread apart to give the appearance of privacy for the people sitting at each. Two chairs were placed at opposing ends of the small tables to be best conducive to conversation. Each table held a pad of paper, two pens, and some colored cards. Naruto filed all of these details into the back of his mind as the bulk of his thoughts were overcome by the decorations. It was a ménage of pink – pink streamers, pink posters with pink inspirational messages, pink balloons, and pink tablecloths. Naruto was about to turn back, sure he had stumbled somehow into an alternate universe or some horrible joke, when he was approached by a thirty-something woman with a kind smile.

"Hello and welcome to Luck of the Draw. My name is Jenny and I am the person in charge of the company in this area. My partner, Allison, is standing over there," she said in one breath as she pointed to a far corner of the room where a willowy brunette woman was affixing hot pink streamers to the window ledge with an air of extreme concentration.

"She was in charge of the decoration, I'll have you know. I'm not taking any responsibility for this Pepto Bismol™ monstrosity," she said with a wry grin1. Naruto relaxed a bit at that and gave a returning grin, if a nervous one.

"I tried to tell her that it would just scare people away, but she insisted and she likes being 'helpful' so much you know. Not to mention her strange appreciation of the color pink. And I have trouble saying 'no' because she gets that cute look on her face…" her eyes went far away for a moment as she smiled, and Naruto understood the connotations of her use of the word 'partner' better than he had before.

"Sorry. You probably didn't need to know that," she said with a shy smile before continuing, "and here I am being terribly rude. I haven't yet asked your name or shown you how to get started!"

"I'm Naruto Uzumaki. It's nice to meet you Jenny," he said cheerfully while sticking out his hand for a shake. Her soft hand took his in a firm grip before he was released.

"Nice to meet you too," she said warmly.

"You'll meet Allison later, but first let me tell you about LoD."

"Legion of Doom?" he asked, confused2.

"What? I don't- Wait. Sorry. Allison and I abbreviate the name some times. We originally called it 'Lucky One's Draw' and then we decided that sounded too cheesy and we changed it, but the abbreviation without the 'T' seems to have stuck. Sorry again. I don't know where my mind is today. Let's get back on track shall we? Follow me please." Naruto did as bid, a bit bewildered but charmed all the same.

Jenny stopped at a desk in the back of the room and turned to him.

"Sexual preference?" she asked. Caught off guard, Naruto stumbled a bit before responding.

"Wha-? Ah. Oh right. Bisexual."

"Alright then," she replied. She made a note on a clipboard on the desk before picking up a blue sticker and a pink one.

"Please wear both of these where it is easy to see them, like high on your chest, or perhaps your shoulder. After you finish that, can you please fill out a nametag and put your name on this list next to where it says '6 – Bisexual – Male'," she pointed to a pile of white nametags, some pens, and the clipboard in turn3.

"While you're busy with that, I'll explain how our extremely successful scientific dating process works," she said with a wink. He smiled and grabbed a pen.

"We will start in about ten minutes or so. I know that it is now time to start, according to our flyers, but we like to greet each person individually, so the process takes a bit longer. Also, we like to give people time to wander in. You'd be surprised at how many people come to places like these just to stall at the door and _maybe_ venture in."

"Yeah, um, I bet…" Naruto laughed nervously and scratched the back of his head in what he hoped wasn't a 'guilty' way. She paused to flash a brief smile at the sight of his reddened ears before continuing.

"Everyone will begin the process on their feet. When I say, 'Go', everyone mills around until they find someone that they'd like to sit down with for that session. As a bisexual, you should look for men and women with blue tags, or both blue and pink like yourself. I understand that some people are going to be left out sometimes. For example, a straight man and a gay man may be paired up because of the lack of suitable partners available. In that case, the two are free to sit back and enjoy the offered refreshments, or they can sit at a table and talk amongst themselves for that period of time. My job is to wander over to these people and point out others who meet their preferences. That's why there is a number on your nametag – I can keep track of you more easily with a number, and it's also easier to point you out.

"Oh! And you remembered to bring your calling cards, right?" Naruto nodded. The advertisement asked that each person bring twenty calling cards with their name and contact information.

"Those are to be with you at all times. If you are feeling a good vibe with someone, you can exchange cards. If you happen to run out, there are pens and paper on each of the tables."

"I'm sure that you've also noticed the cards on the tables. Those are conversation starters for you guys. The purple cards have different topics that you might want to talk about if the conversation is running a little dry. The red cards are gaming cards. Each of the cards has a different conversation game that you can use. Some of them are word association games, charades – things like that. You don't have to use them, however. We want you to do whatever you're comfortable with.

"Well, that's the end of my talk. If you have any questions, feel free to ask at any time. And now, I'll leave you to mingle for a bit while I go induct a few more people," she said with a head-tilt towards the door. A man, and a woman with pink hair had just entered. Naruto smirked at the look of appreciation on the woman's face and that of dawning horror on her companion's.

"Thanks, Jenny. I'll do that. And help myself to those cookies over there." With a smile, they parted ways and Naruto meandered over to the cookies. A few people were also enjoying the fine cuisine, while others still sat stiffly at tables or indulged in awkward conversation with each other. Naruto chose a few chocolate heart shaped cookies and a bottle of pink lemonade before going to find a chair.

Munching on his chocolate treats, Naruto sat back to observe his peers. Normally, he would try and make pleasant conversation with someone, but he felt unusually shy in that atmosphere of 'LoD'. There seemed to be quite a few people in the room, at least twenty or maybe more. To his relief, he spotted several men and women with blue tags. At least he would not spend the evening by himself or having stilted conversation with straight men and gay women, he thought with a grin.

He looked for Jenny and found her placing a sign that read "Admission Closed, Sorry!" on the outside of the door before closing it. Naruto shoved the last two cookies in his mouth and attempted to drain his lemonade at the same time in order to be ready for the beginning of the meeting. After a brief choking fit, he looked expectantly towards Jenny with watery eyes.

"Hello and welcome to 'Luck of the Draw'. My name is Jenny and I am in charge of the Seattle branch of this company. By now, you should have received information from me, my partner Allison, or one of our associates. Could you guys please raise your hands? Thank you. Those four over there can help answer any of your questions.

"That being said, why don't we get this show on the road? There are twenty-eight people in the room right now. Thirteen of you have pink stickers, twelve of you have blue stickers, and three of you have blue and pink stickers. Each time that you find a partner, you will have twenty minutes to talk to that person. We have this room rented for three hours. That means that there will be nine sessions total. If you like how we run this program and you'd like to try us again, we're having another meeting Wednesday of next week at 5:30 pm in the same location.

"All right then. Any questions? No? Then, GO!" Naruto jumped a little at the command before heading into the crowd. He made eye contact with a pretty blonde woman and smiled after seeing her blue and pink tags. She smiled confidently back and stuck out her hand.

"Hi, I'm Ino."

* * *

­­­ 

Sasuke had known that this was a bad idea from the start. He glared over at Sakura who was happily chatting with an attractive man with long dark hair. He turned his glare back to the man in front of him. This 'Kabuto' person was trying his patience.

"So, Sasu-baby, you simply must have millions of admirers. I can't think of why you'd have to go to a place like this. You must have a really horrible personality in order to drive people away from your hot body."

_Really_ trying his patience.

"I don't know, though. If I had you in my bed, I don't think I'd really care about your personality. I bet that I could get you to a state where you wouldn't even be talking at all. What do you say, Sasu-baby. Want to take this somewhere else?"

Sasuke stared. Sakura was going to die when this was over. Die or treat him to dinner at that nice new Japanese bar that had opened up on 2nd and Broadway.

"First of all, no. As in never. The day I let you touch me is the day that I have contracted the Ebola virus4. My name is Sasuke, not Sasu-baby. I am not interested." Sasuke believed in the blunt approach.

"Ooo, Sasu. I love a forceful bottom in a relationship!"

He would kill her. Kill her dead.

* * *

"-and I like ramen and having fun outside," Naruto finished happily. This day was really going well after all. This was his fourth simulated 'date' and third female companion. She had dark hair and lovely pale eyes. And such a pretty name too, _Hinata_. 

"That's, Um. V-very n-n-nice. Um. Naruto," she said in a quiet voice without making eye contact. Naruto sighed mentally. He only wished that she wasn't so very nervous around him. It was making him nervous. Maybe he had something on his face that had made her to think that he was an idiot or a psycho. He placed the purple conversation starter back in the pile before turning back to his companion with a cheerful – and hopefully harmless looking – smile.

"So, Hinata, I noticed that I lot of people seem to have come here with friends. Did you come here with anybody?" He scrubbed around his mouth in what he hoped appeared to be an absent-minded way as she responded.

"Y-yes. I, um, yes. M-my cousin Neji c-came with me. Um. He said that a g-girl should n-n-not, um, go to a place like this alone. I-er, that is. Um," she said while her face flushed an alluring pink. Naruto waited a moment for her to go on, but it appeared that she was quite finished.

"Oh… Well, I think that's great!"

"R-r-really?" she stuttered.

"Definitely," he said with a wide grin. "A cute girl like you must have to fend off the boys with a stick! It's great that you have a cousin to do that for you and look after you. He must really care about you," he said sincerely. She flushed an even darker red.

"Oh… I, um." Her response petered out. Naruto began to speak again, but he was soon interrupted by Jenny.

"All right folks! Session four is now over. Please exchange cards if you are compatible and then say goodbye and look for another partner," she said enthusiastically before resetting the pink timer on her desk. Naruto turned to Hinata once more.

"Well, Hinata, I had a nice time talking to you. May I give you my contact card and have yours please? I would love to talk to you later."

"Yes!" she almost shouted. Naruto almost jumped and watched in wonder as she once again blushed profusely and avoided his eyes. He scratched his head. She would not have agreed if she thought he was psycho, but she was acting so oddly. He gave a mental shrug decided to talk to her about it later. He grinned. It was so nice to meet new people. He dug in his pocket for his orange calling card.

"Here. I work most days, but if you don't reach me on the first attempt, you can always leave a message and then I'll call you back." He gently folded the card into her hand.

"T-thank y-y-you, um. Here is m-my c-c-card." She held out a lilac card in trembling fingers and he took it happily.

"Thank _you_, Hinata. I hope to talk to you soon," he said with a smile and a wink before turning away. He did not notice Hinata sink into her chair behind him with her hands covering her red face.

He was so happy with his results thus far. People around him were friendly, and even if things did not work out romantically with any of them, it was always great to have more friends. He pocketed Hinata's card before walking back into the midst of people.

Before he could make his way into the middle of things, he was stopped by a hand on his elbow.

"Hey there. I don't think we've met," the stranger said in a silky voice. Naruto turned around to meet the dark eyes of a handsome man wearing tight jeans and a shimmering shirt. He felt an odd premonition, but decided to shake it off.

"No. I don't, uh, think so. My name is Naruto," he said with a cheerful grin. Appearances could be deceiving. Right?

"A pleasure. I'm Sai".

* * *

­­He had to admit, this was almost nice. The man in front of him was certainly good looking. He was also pleasantly quiet – something that Sasuke could appreciate. 

"So, Shino. What is it that you do?"

"I work in the Woodland Park Zoo." Sasuke fought a sigh. Yes, the newcomer was quiet, but it would be nice if he could give Sasuke a little more information about himself. He hated having to be the one to instigate a conversation or more in a relationship. He wished that his companion would at least make it so that Sasuke did not have to push his own comfort levels with dating by becoming the main talker.

"And? What do you do there?"

"I work in Bug World," he said quietly without expression.

Pause. Sigh.

"And why did you decide to work there?"

"I like bugs. I think that they make interesting companions." Okay. That was a little… odd. He could handle that. So what if it is a little unusual. And besides, it isn't like it mattered if he was strange anyways. It isn't as though he was actually looking for love here or anything. That was Sakura's gig. He was just along for, what did she call it? Emotional support? He snorted.

Feeling irrationally annoyed, he decided to see if he could be even less talkative than his companion.

Needless to say, it was a long ten minutes after that.

He was traumatized. Trau-ma-tized, and that was that. That Sai person was a nightmare. Naruto shuddered and tried to regain his composure as he staggered over to an empty chair. Maybe he would just sit this round out and spend some time recovering. It had all been going so well too…

At first, Sai seemed to be perfectly charming. He asked Naruto where he worked, he had grinned at him, told him he was handsome, been generally nice. He even offered to draw Naruto a picture and he began to do so immediately. Sure, he had a strange smile and a sort of predatory look in his eye, but Naruto decided to ignore the leering demeanor in favor of good faith. However, everything had gone downhill with the word-association game.

Sai had managed to associate all of the proffered words with penis. At first, Naruto thought that it was daring and sort of funny. Then, it became embarrassing and irritating. And horrifying. Although that part did not come until Naruto had asked him to show how the word 'penis' could be associated with all of the other words mentioned. He shuddered at the reminder of Sai's explanation of how 'penis' could associate with 'microwave'.

From there, it had only gotten worse. Sai had asked him if he had a penis, and when he had gaped and flushed to his hairline, Sai had concluded loudly that if he had one, it couldn't possibly be very big. After that, they had spent the rest of their 'date' discussing the issue. At the switch time, Naruto had rushed away only to be followed by his pest.

Sai had had the gall to act hurt, before delicately slipping his hand into Naruto's back pocket and giving him a _squeeze_. Naruto whimpered. He had never felt so… violated. And the guy had the nerve to tell him that he was merely searching for Naruto's calling card. In his _back_ pocket. He snorted. His friends liked to call him gullible, but even he was not so naïve. He then extracted himself forcefully and told Sai that under no uncertain terms was he to ever approach him again. Sai had pouted, and handed Naruto a drawing before turning away.

He had seen his own eyes staring back at him. Sai had drawn him beautifully on the notepad. Drawn him beautifully… in the nude and with a miniscule penis. As soon as his brain had realized what it was seeing, he ripped up the paper and tossed it in the trash.

Maybe he would just leave. That was awful. And he did already have the numbers of four nice people who he thought he might want to meet again. He put his head in his hands with a moan, hardly noticing as Jenny called for another switch. He took his cards out of his pocket and played with them idly, head still in one palm.

"Hello." Naruto jumped in his seat, scattering his cards left and right and almost toppling himself out of his chair. He had not noticed anyone approaching in his miserable and angry daze. He bent down to retrieve his cards before looking up – into the most beautiful green eyes he had ever seen. Laughing green eyes. Oh. Right, he had just made a total idiot of himself. He blushed and gave a rueful smile.

"Hi. I'm Naruto. And I'm really not an idiot. Or this much of an idiot. I mean, I think that everyone is an idiot sometimes. And. Um. Not that you'd ever be an idiot. Because I'm sure that you're more than just a pretty face. Shit! I mean. Sorry, I mean. I would date you even if you were just a pretty face. No! That's not what I meant. Oh God… I- I should just-" Off myself, he thought miserably. He looked down at the ground again. That was just horrible.

He was shaken from his depressing thoughts with the sound of laughter. He looked up again into her smiling face.

"That was pretty horrible, wasn't it?" She grinned and gave him a 'light' punch in the arm.

"My name is Sakura. Do you want to find a table for this session? I think we have about twenty something minutes left if you're interested."

"I am _so _interested! Let me just gather my cards and then we can go," he said winningly. She nodded and helped him gather the cards. When they finished, she rose gracefully before turning and leading him to a table. He followed after her eagerly, absentmindedly rubbing the spot she had punched earlier. Maybe today was looking up.

* * *

­­­Sasuke glared balefully at the clock. It was the beginning of the eighth session. Forty minutes left and then he and Sakura could leave this pink plaza of doom. He sat on an isolated chair away from the schmoozing and the matchmaking. He would put on a face for Sakura and find a 'date' to sit with in the last round in order to give the impression that he had 'played nice' for the entire experience. 

To be fair, there had been some vague connections. He might decide to call the brunet he had talked to in his second encounter, and the red head from the seventh was very easy on the eyes.5 And maybe even Shino if he was desperate.

But there had been not very solid connections. Sasuke could count the number of people who he had solid connections with in his life on one hand. Or, if he were to be truly honest with himself, with one half of one hand. And none of those relationships had been romantic – excepting that stupid crush he had had on Kakashi when he was twelve, but that didn't count. It did not.

He was not the sort of person who sought out friendship readily. Most people usually were attracted to him. Be it because of his intelligence, his looks, his money, or his family name, people had always flocked to him. Especially in his younger years. At his job, he always had several people willing to sit with him at his scheduled lunch break. But he would consider none of them his friends.

He liked being alone. It was what he often told himself, but it was also the truth. He liked the comfort of being alone, of being separate from the rest of the world. Of feeling that he did not need to depend on others. And yet he liked spending time with others too. He liked Sakura, even if their relationship had spawned from an ill received crush. He sometimes wondered what it would be like to have someone like Sakura who he could… do _things_ with. He blushed, thought for a moment, and then quickly blanched away from the mental image of a muscular male Sakura.

He did not want to be somebody's trophy boyfriend, and he did not want a trophy of his own. If he were to have someone, that someone would have to be challenging and strong and self-reliant. He did not want someone to cling on him, or to rely on him to make all the decisions in a relationship.

He was knocked out of his musings by the sound of Jenny calling for another switch. He rose dutifully from his chair and found a table to sit at. Sinking into his new seat, he decided that his next companion could very well find him, because he was not moving.

* * *

­­­­­­­­­Last call. Last chance to find a possible future boyfriend or girlfriend. Naruto grinned. His 'date' with Sakura had recovered his spirits and he spent the last session talking with a man named Suigetsu who seemed to be interesting. He had six numbers so far and he was confident that he could become friends with all of them. 

After looking around, his cheerful mood quickly abated. Sai. The creep was heading over to a handsome man with black hair and eyes. Naruto felt the need to intercede – no one should be subjected to _that_. He narrowed his eyes and charged forward, slipping into the chair facing the other man moments before Sai reached the table. Facing forward, he grinned at his new companion. The other man simply stared in return and Naruto felt his smile wilt.

Surely. _Surely_ this could not be as bad as his date with Sai.6

"My name's Naruto. It's nice to meet you."

Pause.

"My name is Sasuke. It is nice to meet you also." Naruto waited hopefully. Maybe this guy would embark on a new and interesting topic that would dazzle him. Maybe not. He shrugged. You win some, you lose some…

"Hey, I don't know about you but I'm feeling a bit conversation-ed out. I'm having a lack of ideas here. Do you want to try one of these conversation cards?" Naruto looked expectantly at the other man. Sasuke shrugged languidly.

"Do what you like." Naruto bristled at the apathetic attitude, but he tempered his feelings and reached for one of the purple cards.

"Ah. This is an interesting one. Who was your first crush and why?"

* * *

Sasuke would rather eat slugs than answer the question put to him by the blonde idiot in front of him. How the hell could he relate his weird fixation on Kakashi? But he couldn't back down. He'd already told his companion that he could ask him a question. As he formulated his thoughts, he took a moment to observe his partner through thick bangs. He was attractive, in a fierce sort of way. Sasuke could tell that he had a nice body under the simple jeans and ugly orange shirt. Nice blue eyes too. Beautiful even. If you liked that sort of thing. 

He wanted to ignore the question. He really did. But he was not a coward, even when he really wanted to be.

"My first crush was when I was twelve. There was a friend of my family that I… admired. I confessed my feelings for him at my elder brother's birthday party. Let's just say, the experience taught me that confessions are not meant for public parties at which the entire family is present," Sasuke said the last with a smirk and Naruto winced sympathetically.

"And you, Naruto? Who was your first crush?"

"Well, when I was ten there was this really pretty girl in my-" Sasuke jumped.

"Girl?"

"Yeah. I'm bisexual. Didn't you notice?" Sasuke had not noticed. He had noticed other… things, but the stickers on the blonde's chest had indeed escaped his notice. And there they were, one blue and one pink, just as he had said.

"Oh. You're one of those," said Sasuke with less than full charm. He had had experience with so-called _bi_sexuals in the past. His experience had found them to be more on the bi-curious end of the scale.7 Unsure straight men who figured out they wanted women right quick when the dating became physical past casual touching.

"Excuse me?"

"A _bi_sexual of course. What is it; women couldn't fulfill all of your urges?"

His companion flushed angrily. Sasuke noticed in the back of his mind, and would remember later, that it was an attractive look on the tanned face.

"You have no idea what you're talking about! You don't know me. Don't pretend as if you understand my sexuality just because of a few bad dates that you've had or something. I'm right, aren't I? You've already placed me into some stupid box and you're trying to label it with words that you understand. Well, screw you!" Sasuke sat back, quiet. This was new. Most people let him say what he liked. Except Sakura. He still had the scar from that one time in New York. Kakashi would just laugh. Bastard.

So his companion had a mind of his own. And a temper. Interesting. A quick glance at the clock told him that he had a good fifteen minutes left. He wondered how far he could push the guy until he snapped. He had the feeling that he would be fun to tease.

* * *

­ 

Naruto didn't know why he was still sitting with this bastard. He was cocky, rude, and downright mean sometimes. Naruto just knew he had to be the type to use his good looks to get himself whatever he wanted. Stupid handsome features and nice black hair. Probably got away with anything.

And how the hell had they gotten onto the topic of Mr. Spiky?

"What kind of idiot names his cat that?"

"I don't know. I didn't name him, you jerk." Naruto was fast losing his resolve to stick out the remainder of this 'date'. They had spent the last ten minutes sniping at each other and teasing and, in the midst of their arguing, talking a bit about themselves.

"My friend Kiba gave him to me for my birthday last year. I didn't even know that I wanted one until I realized-" he cut himself off and looked away, embarrassed.

"Until?" Bastard was going to make him say it, was he? Hell if he was going to back down in the face of that cocked eyebrow and annoying smirk. All the same, he did not meet that gaze as he talked.

"It's nice to… have something to… come home to. I have been alone all my life- sorry, that sounds mopey doesn't it? I mean, I've lived alone for as long as I care to remember. I've had girlfriends _and boyfriends,_" he paused to give Sasuke a dark glare before returning his gaze to his nail-bitten hands, "in the past, but it never got so serious as to have us living together. It just never seemed to work out. And it was always me too. They'd be all ready to move all their crap and then suddenly I'd have a massive 'this-is-a-big-mistake' panic attack and call it off. No one likes to be rejected like that, so they usually called it quits soon after I failed to commit there.

"I don't know what it wrong with me. I like to be alone. I like that I can depend on myself for everything, and I like knowing that I'm strong. But sometimes… I just _want_ a little bit. You know?" In his deep staring contest with his fingernails, Naruto missed Sasuke nodding his head in agreement.

"I don't think that people are meant to live their lives alone. I know that I'm not _alone_ alone. I mean, I've got buddies and stuff, but it isn't the same. I think that people are meant to have a someone. To, you know, share moments with and all that stuff. I want a someone.

"And this is why I have a Mr. Spiky," he finished and turned up towards Sasuke with a wide self-depreciating grin. He was met by a blank stare. He turned away, frustrated. What was he expecting anyways.

What a miserable 'date'. No connection whatsoever. Not even a maybe, baby.

* * *

Sasuke was speechless. This Naruto person, he was. He was just right. He had endured Sasuke's teasing, and even jabbed back with barbs of his own. He was interesting and funny too – Sasuke had trouble keeping his stoic face together during the blonde's amusing stories about his one of his graduate school professors. And just now – where had that come from? How did this bumbling blonde know about things that Sasuke himself could not put to words? 

Sasuke was jarred out of his thoughts by the sound of Jenny speaking once again.

"Thank you for coming, ladies and gents. We do hope that you choose to come again next week. If not, we wish you success on your own! It was great to meet you all, but I'm afraid that we do indeed have to kick you out. We only have the room scheduled for about forty-five more seconds and I'd really hate to get in trouble with this building head. Thanks again for coming! And don't forget to get those last numbers and names in order!"

Sasuke was already one step ahead of her. Even before she had finished speaking he was reaching towards the pile of cards Naruto had placed on the table when he had sat down. Reaching towards his target eagerly, he failed to notice the look on the blonde's face.

He did notice, however, when a tanned hand swooped into his line of vision and took the cards off of the table in front of his face. His eyes widened and he looked at Naruto, incredulous.

"I think you misinterpreted my actions," he said with a smirk and then continued on quickly as Naruto shoved all of the cards into his pocket, "I want to have one of your cards."

"And I don't want you to have one. Look, Sasuke. I really don't think that we're compatible. I don't want to be a part of the type of relationship you seem to want."

"Wait- look. Why don't we talk for a bit more? I think there is a nice café a few minutes from here," he said quickly. Sasuke wasn't sure how much more of his pride he was willing to put on the line if the blonde said 'no'.

"I should- I just need to go now. I have stuff to do, people to see. It would never work between us. I just, I need someone who can be more open with me." With that, his 'date' turned and walked away. He smiled to a few people on the way out – and Sasuke couldn't help but notice that it was a very nice smile – and then he was gone.

Well, fuck.

He turned dazedly to find Sakura looking fondly at the door. At the door through which his idiot had just departed. His eyes narrowed.

He would kill her dead for sure.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

Hey all. This is my first Naruto fic. Let me have your constructive criticism please! And - I hate to advertise like this but I feel the need to - does anyone know a goof beta-ing group or anything? I'd really like one but I'm having trouble finding one. Any volunteers? Bueller?

Thanks for your time. Take care everyone :).

- FP


	2. Chapter 2

**Luck of the Draw** (2/4)

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto™ or its characters. If I did, let's just say it'd be a very _different_ sort of manga/anime…

AN/Warnings: Thank you so much for your thoughtful comments. They made me extremely happy :).

Oh! And I totally forgot to mention last time (and I apologize) but there will be hintings and flirtations with pairings that interfere with the sasunaru, **but they are not going to last long or be central to the story**. Also - I am so NOT Japanese it is not even funny. But I really wanted to use the concept of Naruto having a Japanese heritage that he shares with Iruka, Sasuke and some of the other people in the story. So if you find serious mistakes with my use of Japanese culture, please point them out nicely and I'll do my best to fix them. Thank you! And watch out - this chapter has new and improved footnotes!

And this chapter has a pairing that I have a feeling people will be angry at me for… Just remember the AN! It will not be central to the story line, but I thought it would be nice to add for my character development.

NOTE: I also wanted to thank (and probably embarrass) my wonderful beta Tirra Lirra for all of her hard work. This fic really would not be the same without your helpful additions.

Thanks again for reading and I hope you enjoy!

* * *

­­Naruto sighed as he unlocked the door to his apartment. Working the eight-to-four shift at the gym always made him groggy and tired in the afternoon. Now, it was time for a shower and a quality meal before watching a funny sitcom or two on the tube. He shuffled in the door as it opened and tossed his keys onto the dining room table. 

"How was your day, kiddo?" Naruto jumped and whirled around to face his opponent. The voice had come from the kitchen and he made to open the door warily. How had a burglar made his way into the apartment? He was always careful to lock it on his way out. And what kind of burglar greeted his victim?

Wait a minute, _kiddo_? He shoved the door open quickly and he slumped in relief upon seeing the man on the other side of the door.

"Iruka, I _told_ you not to sneak up on me like that! One day you're going to give me a heart attack!"

"Oh, hush. I didn't know when you'd be home and you never answer your phone at work. I thought I'd surprise you and make you dinner," Iruka said as he turned around to smile at Naruto. The smile faded as puzzlement wrinkled his brow.

"Naruto? What are you doing with that?"

"What?" Naruto looked down. Sure enough, he was carrying the spray bottle he used for his plants in a clenched fist. He blushed as he realized that he must have picked it up as a reflex without even realizing it. Good thing he had recognized his neighbor before doing something _really _embarrassing…

"Oh. Um. Nothing. Just some…redecorating," he said while looking away from Iruka's quizzical gaze. He placed the bottle carefully on the kitchen table.

"Oh. I see. Well… don't you want to know what I'm making for dinner?" Iruka teased knowingly.

"Yes!" Naruto yelled. He had forgotten in his embarrassment.

"Are you making me home-made ramen? Please!" He smiled at Iruka winningly. No one could say 'no' when he looked at them with his baby blues-

"No. You eat too much of that as is. You really do need to eat more vegetables, so I decided to make you curry. Come help chop the carrots - it should be done soon if you help out." He added the last quickly at the sight of a growing pout on his friend's face. At that, Naruto jumped eagerly to the task, and Iruka turned back to the bubbling pot to hide his grin.

Naruto chopped the carrots quickly but carefully. He knew that Iruka would scold him if he did a sloppy job or if he cut himself in his haste to finish the task. He grinned softly down at his work. Sometimes Iruka acted more like a father then a friend, but Naruto would be lying if he did not admit that he appreciated the attention nonetheless.

He had met Iruka five years ago when he moved into the apartment complex. He had been seventeen when he moved in that summer. Seventeen and about to embark on his freshman year of college at the University of Washington. He had received a full scholarship, but even 'full' scholarships did not cover room and board. With the skyrocketing price of college rooming, Naruto found it easier to find a place on his own and commute to school through public transportation. He'd found an ad in his local paper, and soon enough, he was moving his meager belongings into his current apartment.

The apartment itself was a great deal. Tsunade, the current apartment head, was an understanding woman and seemed to feel for Naruto's plight. She had kindly allowed him to pay some of his rent in the form of manual labor around the complex. He felt forever indebted to the woman for helping him onto his feet.

That was not to say they did not have their squabbles, for they did. However, most of the jeering and teasing between the two was not malicious. Most of it. And he was pretty sure she wasn't serious about that thing with the toaster... He enjoyed teasing her, and she seemed to enjoy frightening the life out of him. All in all, it was a pretty healthy relationship between a tenant and his landlord.

However, Naruto did not begin to truly enjoy living at his new place until he met Iruka. The memory of that day always made him smile. He had woken to the smell of something burning that afternoon and had immediately bolted out the door to make sure that the building was not on fire. Instead of Apocalyptic flames, Naruto had run into a hysterical Iruka. Iruka had locked himself out of the room when he left to empty the garbage. Unfortunately, he had also left pancakes on the frying pan to simmer as he made his 'quick' trip. Tsunade, unfortunately, was out of the building visiting her nephew in Tacoma, and the cousin she had left in charge proved to be a very heavy sleeper.

After finding that the cousin would not wake to retrieve the extra key, Iruka had started to worry. Not wanting to drive off in order to find someone and subsequently leave the building like a guilty arsonist, he began to call people with the payphone in the lobby. Then, after calling several locksmiths and finding that none of them were open on Sundays, he began to worry a bit more. Then after calling the fire department and finding that the _line was busy_, Iruka had begun to panic. Just a little. And then a lot. He began to hatch a series of semi-ridiculous plots to open the door. Naruto bumped into him just as he was gathering the available 'materials' from his car – an extra tire, five pennies, gum wrappers, and several soda cans. Naruto was still iffy on the details of how that particular scheme was supposed to work.

As soon as Naruto had all of the information from Iruka – colored with many I'm-so-sorry's and Tsunade-is-going-to-_kill-_me's – he had grabbed his lock picks and then followed Iruka to his apartment. Naruto had quickly opened the apartment and allowed a much relieved Iruka to dash inside and inspect the damage. Thankfully, nothing had caught on fire. The pancakes and the pan were too crispy to be of much use ever again, but the apartment was safe – if a bit smoky.

As thanks, Iruka had offered to cook Naruto breakfast. After insuring that Naruto's lock picking hobby was _just_ a hobby, of course. Naruto had agreed happily and helped Iruka aerate his apartment before leading him to his own apartment where the air was cleaner and the frying pan less damaged.

After breakfast, they had talked and had a great time. Iruka was a teacher at the local middle school that Naruto saw on his way to school every day. He was kind and smart, and Naruto found himself opening up to Iruka easily. He was eight years older than Naruto, but he spoke to him as an equal and not as some young hoodlum or an idiot. After that day, Iruka began to cook breakfast for Naruto every Sunday and they would stop by each other's apartments often during each week. Iruka became something of a confidante for Naruto, and he was a great problem solver. Their friendship was probably the most important relationship that he had made in the past five years.

"Naruto! What on earth are you doing to those carrots?" Iruka reprimanded loudly. Naruto blinked down at his work. Deep in his thoughts, he had not noticed that he'd finished and had instead continued chopping. His perfectly cut carrots were now cut into miniscule pieces. Oops.

"Ah! Sorry Iruka! I was-"

"Lost in thought? I should have known. You had that look in your eyes when you started cutting," Iruka said in exasperation. Naruto looked down at his feet. Sometimes, Iruka's teacher personality tended to carry on into his daily life. Such as when he was inflicting guilt trips. No one wanted to disappoint Iruka.

"Oh, you. Don't worry so. I didn't mean to make you feel bad, kiddo. We can still use them, it just might taste a bit different, that's all. You can cut some more if you think you'll miss the big pieces, but don't forget to wash them and skin them first." Naruto nodded and gathered two more carrots from the refrigerator. _He_ would not miss the orange vegetable, but he knew that Iruka would. Not that Iruka would ever say so. He finished quickly and offered them to Iruka to put into the curry.

"Thank you, Naruto. Why don't you set the table and sit down? This should be done when by the timee you finish." Naruto nodded and gathered the materials before setting them out quickly. He poured a glass of milk for himself and grabbed a bottle of seltzer water for Iruka before sitting down. Soon enough, Iruka entered with the curry and the rice. Naruto served each of them before looking down to his meal. Iruka was a great cook – a meal from Iruka was always a treat, no matter the frequency.

"Itadakimasu!" they said together before digging in 1. They ate in silence for a while; the only sounds in the room were happy eating noises. After a while, they asked each other questions about their respective days at work. Naruto was laughing at one of Iruka's stories about the kids at his school when Iruka sprung 'The Question'.

"So… Naruto," he started with a determined air that made Naruto feel distinctly nervous – like a mouse caught in a trap.

"You never told me how your dating thing went the other night," he said quickly without looking directly at Naruto.

"Iru-ka," Naruto whined as he put his head in his hands.

"I know that you don't like to talk about this sort of thing because it is embarrassing for you or whatever, but I am just curious. And I- I worry sometimes. You have not been with anyone seriously after things did not work out with Gaara seven months ago-"

"You were keeping track?"

"Yes! No! Yes, alright? I care about you, and I just. I think that someone as special as you needs someone special in return," Iruka finished with a blush.

"Oh… fine. I'll tell you all the details. But not over dinner okay? Let me finish up and help you with the dishes and then we'll talk in the living room."

Ten minutes later, Naruto found himself on the couch facing a very determined Iruka. He sighed and wished that he'd allotted more time for himself before _this_ conversation. This was just so embarrassing…

"Well," he began without looking into Iruka's face, "it was okay. I met some really cool people. I don't know how many of them could possibly be people I could be romantic with, but it was nice to make new friends all the same. Let's see, first I talked with Ino. She was gorgeous – nice confidence too, if a bit aggressive. I like…" he drawled on almost mechanically. He looked up into Iruka's face. It was almost worth the embarrassment to be able to see the range of emotions on his friend's face. He almost laughed out loud at the look of pure disgust on Iruka's face during his retelling of his encounter with Sai. Iruka listened quietly as he spoke; only humming in disapproval or agreement now and then. Until-

"Sasuke, eh? It sound's like he really got to you, Naruto. You seem angrier at him than you did at that Sai person," he said after Naruto told him the bastard's reaction to his soul-sharing.

"Ugh- Well- Yeah! I mean, at least Sai had some personality, however perverted it turned out to be. You should have seen this guy! He was like an ice-person or something. I wanted to- to shake him or something. To yell at him. And you'll never believe it, Iruka! Bastard _actually_ wanted me to give him one of my cards!" Iruka's eyes widened as was appropriate to Naruto's level of incredulity.

"Really?"

"Believe it!" he almost yelled. 2

"He must have been really interested in you. You must have left an impression on him."

"Humph. Whatever. As if I'd want an asshole like that as a boyfriend."

"You never know, Naruto. Gaara was certainly not Mr. Boy-Next-Door when you first started dating," Iruka said with a pinch of mischief.

"How can you compare- ugh! I know, I know. But Gaara was different. He was special- is special and a good friend." He growled and pushed his face into the couch cushion. He did _not_ want to think about his Gaara problems right now.

"And besides," he spoke from the cushion, "I'll probably never see the guy again. I'm not going to go to the next session- I know that you probably think it's a good idea to go, but I promised Alice that I'd cover for her Taekwondo class on that Wednesday. You know that I need all the extra hours I can get. And don't worry about my love life, Iruka. Everything will turn out alright, you'll see. I'll call Ino tomorrow and set a date, you'll see. I'll merge myself into the wonders of dating once again." He said the last after removing his face from the cushioning and facing Iruka once again.

"I know you always land on your feet, Naruto. However I can't help but to worry about you sometimes. I care for you." He said it so earnestly. And he was just so nice. Naruto would blame those things for what happened next.

Looking into Iruka's honest face, Naruto leaned in slowly before tilting his head and carefully placing his lips onto Iruka's own in a sweet kiss. He pushed gently, remembering the feel of his mouth from the last kiss they had shared. Naruto had been incredibly drunk at the time, and he had also just broken things off with Gaara. And Iruka had been there for him, as he always was.

Now, Iruka sat there placidly and let Naruto kiss him for a few moments before breaking away.

"Naruto," he began carefully, "I don't-"

"I know. I'm sorry. I just-"

"I understand. I'm sorry too. I'm just not-"

"I know. Sometimes, I just wish that you were," Naruto said at last with a small smile. Iruka returned it quickly, if a bit sadly.

"I do too, sometimes. Naruto…"

"It's okay. Really. You should go to bed, school is in session tomorrow and I expect the brats to be especially crazy as it will be Friday. And I," he said while getting up languidly and reaching down a hand to help Iruka do the same, "I need to wake up early tomorrow to make it to the new job that you helped me with. Crazy hours. They want me in at five tomorrow! But thank you again, Iruka." Iruka smiled as he rose slowly and walked with Naruto towards the door.

"It was no trouble, Naruto. Be sure to say 'hello' to Kurenai for me."

"I will. Goodnight, Iruka." Iruka smiled and returned the sentiments before walking out the door. Naruto fidgeted at the doorframe for a moment before calling out.

"And Iruka?" His friend turned to him once more.

"Yes?"

"Thanks," he said with emotionally. Iruka gave a half grin.

"Anytime, Naruto. You know that." Naruto nodded, suddenly feeling a bit shy.

"Can I- can I come to breakfast tomorrow?"

"Always."

* * *

"-and then he asked me what size dildo I would prefer. I told him- stop laughing! This is not funny!" Sasuke huffed indignantly. He gave Sakura a rough poke in the ribs and turned away from her with a sniff when her laughter only increased. Eventually, her laugher subsided. 

"Oh, come on, Sasuke. You know that you'd think it was funny if it happened to me," she pleaded to the back of his head. He whipped around to look at her, scowling.

"No. I would ask you for a description of the bastard so that I could castrate him for you. No one is ever allowed to talk to you like that, okay?" She rolled her eyes.

"Do you want me to find Kabuto and beat him up for you Sasuke? I mean, this is a record. You've been telling me stories about this guy for three and a half days now."

"I was trying to make you feel guilty. It was your fault after all. But apparently, you think that you should just be able to laugh at my problems, and not compensate for them." She rolled her eyes and sighed, 'drama queen' on the tip of her tongue.

"What do you want Sasuke? Let me see. When I've screwed up in the past, you've usually asked for dinner."

"Why, Sakura, I can't believe that you've asked me to go to the new Japanese place and volunteered to pay too! What a _good_ friend you are," he said sarcastically. She growled.

"You almost had a free meal ticket, but you ruined it. Now you have to give me a little something extra." Sasuke blinked slowly before thinking it over and smirking. As he opened his mouth to speak, she cut him off with a sigh.

"I know. No sexual favors. Ha ha. No. What I want you to tell me is…hmm. Wait! I've got it! Tell me about the simulated date that you felt the greatest connection with. All I've heard so far are the horrible ones. You must have met at least one person who-" she stopped abruptly.

"Are you blushing?" Sakura asked incredulously. Sasuke blushed rarely, and when he did, it was usually far from the full facial flush that he was currently sporting. He appeared to blush harder at the inquiry.

"No… Of course not," Sasuke rebuffed while averting his face, but the statement lacked his usual bite. He hoped fervently for an earthquake or maybe some sort of Godzilla monster attack in order to prevent this line of questioning. No such luck, he thought bitterly.

"Now I really want to know! What was his name? Tell me! I know you want that onigiri! What did he look like? Was he handsome? Was he-" he interrupted her curtly.

"Stop! Look. I believe you met him already. Let me talk! He was bisexual. I think he had a 'date' with you too. His name was… Naruto."

"Oh! You… you liked him?" she asked carefully. He didn't answer. He had done his part. Hell if he was going to say the rest. Then again, maybe she would pity him and he could ask for the blonde's number. Sasuke snorted inwardly as he remembered why he rejected that plan of action in the first place. Naruto would probably freak out if _he_ called him. Then Sasuke would have to tell him that Sakura had given him the number, causing Naruto to lose his trust in Sakura. Then he would reject advances of _platonic friendship_ from Sakura, and he would feel like an ass. No, he would not take the stalker road this time. Or ever.

"I liked him too," she said quietly. He felt his stomach drop.

"He was sweet, wasn't he? And quite nice too. Very open," she said innocently. Sasuke flinched. She, however, had begun to plait her hair absently and missed the rare facial spasm.

"We exchanged numbers and he said that he would call me. I hope that he does. Has he called you yet?" Sasuke looked away and mumbled the answer under his breath.

"What was that? I didn't hear what you said." He crossed his arms and refused to answer.

"Sasu-ke," she moaned, "has he or has he not? I want to know if I should be jealous of you or not. So, did he?"

"…No." He said it clearly but quietly while looking down at his hands. Sakura watched his face, confused.

Something was a bit wrong here. Sasuke's expression was not that of a disappointed rival. It held more frustration and a bit of confusion as well. Now was the time to probe carefully.

"Have you… called _him_ yet?" she asked directly. So much for careful probing. He bowed his head in defeat before giving his answer clearly, if quietly.

"He didn't give me his calling card." For a moment, there was silence in Sasuke's living room. For that brief moment, he let himself believe that she would drop it and let him think about something else for a minute of his day. God knows that damn face had plagued him continuously since that night. Maybe Sakura would understand that he didn't really want to share his thoughts here. Maybe-

"What!?" She yelled shrilly. He winced. Maybe… maybe he should remember who he was talking to.

"Did he- did he forget or something? I have his, you know- I could just..." she mimed the motion of giving him something. Sasuke felt his frustration reach his breaking point. Something inside of him snapped.

"He didn't want to give it to me! Okay, Sakura? He told me that we weren't compatible! He- he told me that, that he didn't want to have a relationship with me. Okay?" He said it all in a loud voice that left him feeling drained once he had finished. Sasuke slumped onto the sofa miserably. How embarrassing. He hated it when his emotions got the better of him. And for what? For some guy he'd met for twenty odd minutes at a _dating clinic_? He was losing his mind. Fucking blue eyes. Maybe it was already gone.

"Oh… oh Sasuke, I'm sorry. I just assumed- and he and I had a good time together, so I thought… I'm sorry. I shouldn't have pushed." Before he knew it, he found himself enfolded in Sakura's arms. Now all he needed to feel like a complete pansy was for her to start crying.

"Just forget about it Sakura. I don't… want you to not see him if you liked him. I know that's something you would do because you think that it would make me feel better, but don't." It would only serve the purpose of making him feel more pathetic than he did already.

"Okay," she agreed softly while pulling back to look him in the eye.

"So…" she started.

"So?"

"How about… I take you to dinner now and you forget this mutually painful and embarrassing moment?" He had to smile. Only Sakura.

"That sounds like an acceptable plan. But this better be some amazing onigiri after _that_ experience."

* * *

"Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck." Naruto chanted the curse rhythmically as he sprinted towards his destination. Why had he decided to forgo his bike in favor of public transportation? He had already talked to the owner of the restaurant who said that it was okay if he locked his bike up outside. But no, he just had to try the bus. The very late bus that eventually arrived fifteen minutes behind schedule. Fifteen minutes that Naruto desperately needed. Why, oh why, had he not taken his bicycle? 

He dodged pedestrians with a skill borne of practice as he made his way quickly along the remaining six blocks. Four blocks. Two. There! He rushed to the back entrance of the restaurant and into the Men's Toilets to change quickly as if his life depended on it. That accomplished, he stowed his backpack in the room that Ibiki had showed him when he had come for his training.

He straightened his slightly wrinkled uniform quickly. Maybe if he was very stealthy, no one would notice his late entry. He approached the doors to the main kitchens quietly and pushed the door open slowly before slipping in. Now to find Iruka's friend Kurenai and ask where he should start. All was good! He was in the clear! Success!

Suddenly a large hand grasped his shoulder tightly, the thumb and forefinger gripping the base of his neck in an uncomfortably firm hold.

"Nice of you to join us, Naruto." Ibiki. Fuck. He was _so_ dead.

"I'm so sorry, sir! I just, er. How-" can I convince you not to eat me?

"Quiet. You can rest assured that you and I will be having a _talk_ later." He paused to glare ominously at his new charge.

"Right now, however, we are quite busy and could use another pair of hands. Not _in_ the soup, mind," he gave a barking laugh and Naruto tittered nervously. Why was Ibiki so needlessly scary?

"Today, you'll be working with Asuma as his assistant 4. Through your training, we've seen that you're able to make onigiri, sushi, sashimi, noodle dishes, and some of the yakimono and nabemono dishes, correct?" Naruto nodded eagerly at the prompt.

"Good. Then let Asuma handle the abemono, especially the tempura, okay?"

"Yes sir." He fidgeted. Fucking tempura.

"Good. Asuma!" As he yelled the last, a middle aged man hovering over a bubbling bowl looked up abruptly. After carefully lowering the temperature on the pot and leaving brief directions with the woman to his right, Asuma maneuvered through the busy kitchen to reach his boss. He spared a brief look at Naruto before focusing his attentions on Ibiki.

"Sir?"

"Asuma, this is Naruto. He is a new assistant in the kitchens. Today, he'll be under your watch. It is your responsibility to make sure that nothing goes wrong, got it?" he barked out. Asuma nodded leisurely.

"Sure thing, sir." Naruto decided that Asuma really needed to teach him that 'calm-in-the-face-of -imminent-danger-also-known-as-Ibiki-look'.

"Good. The kid will tell you what he knows how to make, and what he doesn't. And whatever you do, do not let him touch the tempura!" Naruto winced. Fine. So that one time, it had ended badly. He still had no idea how the oil had spilled that far. But still, Ibiki could trust him enough to let him try it again – at least enough to stop ragging on him about it every time they met.

"Sure. Thanks Ibiki. Another set of hands will be useful today. I have a feeling that it is going to be crowded. Anko said that we have twenty-three reservations from five to seven alone." Naruto felt his eyes grow large. He had hoped that, because it was new, the restaurant would grow in popularity in proportion to how much he learned in his apprenticeship. Looks like he would just have to learn quickly.

"Come on, kid." Naruto nodded and made to follow Asuma. He flashed Ibiki a nervous smile and received a nod in return before Ibiki turned away and walked out to the central dining area. Naruto turned around quickly and jogged to catch up with Asuma.

"All right kid. This is my space," he said as he swept his arms to include the area in front of him.

"We each are given a large cutting board to ourselves – the surface area you see before you now. Most people bring their own knives, but you can find other equipment – like skillets and thermometers and spoons and such – in here," he paused and Naruto moved out of the way quickly as Asuma opened a broad drawer that was on level with his groin. He looked in quickly, impressed at the amount of items, and the incredible mess that Asuma had made in the small space. He nodded to Asuma after making a mental note of the drawer, and Asuma closed it in response.

"This drawer here," he opened a drawer beneath the first, "is where you will find all the spices and sauces that you could possibly need. I, uh, don't alphabetize them or anything, so you don't need to worry about putting everything that you take back in the exact spot that you found it. However," he paused to give Naruto an intense look, "if you ever find yourself working with Anko, I would pay extra careful attention to where everything is. If you accidentally placed, say, the wasabi next to the sansho…" he paused, a faraway look in his eyes, before continuing in a dazed voice, "Hell. Just don't, okay kid? I don't think that even Ibiki could save you then." Naruto swallowed. Asuma blinked a few times before snapping himself awake again.

"Right. So that's settled. Let's, uh, continue, shall we?" Naruto nodded.

"Great. So, we are to use that sink on your left. We share it with Iwashi over there," he paused to nod at a dark haired man with a goatee. Busy with his sashimi, the man failed to notice.

"I can introduce you two later. Stick around after work today, okay? Then you can meet everybody and maybe we'll go out for some beers or something. You're legal, right?" Naruto nodded eagerly.

"Good. Now that I've shown you the basics, let me show you the best part." Naruto looked at him blankly. Was this some sort of test? Best part…

"The food! Jeez, kid. I guess I shouldn't tease you on your first day, but still. Okay. So, to your right are the refrigerators. I know, they look imposing, but it's easy enough to figure out." Naruto nodded hopefully. Five refrigerators were a bit intimidating. A chef did not have time to search around for the right one. Maybe it would be something simple…

"It's actually pretty simple. That first refrigerator is the fish fridge. Ibiki painted that big black 'F' on it to, you know, clarify. It's kept at the perfect temperature for all of the fish that we receive that day. We get fish, and all of the meat, daily. If you ever end up with the errands shift, be sure to place everything in there right away. Okay. Good. The next fridge, the one with the 'SH', has all the shellfish. Crabs, shrimp, anemone, you name it. All in there. Okay. Now the 'M' fridge. This one has all the meat – chicken, pork, and everything else, basically. Easy enough, right? And watch out, this one also holds all of the eggs. But that's all there is too it."

"But what about the other two? With the 'STO' markings?"

"Oh right. Those two are for storage. If you're making anything that needs to chill for a moment, just pop it in one of those. Especially nice for those deserts. It also has milk and other cold liquids that you might need to use" Naruto made an 'oh' face and nodded.

"Great. Now the vegetables and fruits are in the closets at the end of this room, can you see them?"

"Yeah."

"Good. That's where you'll find every fruit or vegetable that you could possibly want. It's best to grab a few of them at a time in anticipation of what you might need. There are dried mushrooms, peppers, and the like hanging on the doors of the closet, and the pickled things are on the top shelf. Oh, and be sure to be careful with the Matsutake mushrooms – those have to be imported from Japan and are pretty expensive.

"This bin," he paused to point out a deep drawer under the spices, "Is for anything you might want to keep a hold of for later. It's helpful because it prevents clutter in the workspace, and all. At least that's what they tell me. I usually grab a few cucumbers, some okra, and mushrooms.

"Other than that, just use what you need and be sure to place extra fruits and vegetables back in the closet or in the 'STO' fridge if you've used part of them. Got it?" Naruto nodded a bit dazedly. So much information! During training, Ibiki had taken out the food needed for each recipe and had carefully watched over him as he made each dish. The real kitchen was bustling with people and noise and impatience. Nevertheless, Naruto could not help but become excited. What a cool place! He would have to make Iruka the Inarizushi that he liked so much as thanks for helping him land this job.

"Awesome! Let's start! I'll be the best apprentice ever, you'll see!" He began to head towards the vegetables, eyes blazing in anticipation, but Asuma stopped him with a grip on the scruff of his uniform.

"Whoa there. Hold on a second. I still have to show you where the freezer is! Or, more importantly, how were you planning on serving anyone without knowing where the rice was?" Naruto blushed. Right. Rice. Asuma laughed at the abashed look on his face before pulling him back to his station.

"The rice, flour, sugar, whatever, is all kept up here. We don't have to share with anyone –each chef has his or her own personal cabinet," he said while pointing to a large cabinet above the workspace. Naruto opened the doors timidly before nodding in approval at the amount of rice he saw. He'd hate to think of what would happen if they ran out…

"Now that over there," he started while gesturing to a metal door behind them, "is the freezer. There are shelves inside if you need to store things at freezing temperature. It should be about ten degrees Fahrenheit in there. Do not mess with the temperature, even for a specific recipe, without talking to Zabuza first."

"Zabuza?"

"Head chef. You should meet him shortly. He's got one hell of a temper. Not as bad as Anko, thankfully, but he's a pretty scary guy nonetheless. Just do what he says and no one gets hurt. Usually." Naruto stared.

"The new orders are on this belt here," he said while tapping a thin rubber belt below the cabinet. "If you're open for an order, your spot will be blank. The servers come into the kitchen with each order. If your spot is blank or if you only have one or two dishes to prepare, they will stick their order onto the belt in front of you. If you have too much to do, say so, but don't expect them to be happy about it."

"Oh, and I forgot! The ovens are obviously over there", he said while gesturing to a row of the shiny metal appliances, "be sure to remember what you've got on the range. No one wants a fire in the kitchen, got it? And be sure to not move anyone else's dishes. Chefs are quite particular about that."

"And now, we wait. Shouldn't take long. I think that Anko finished the soba I was making before, so now I'm clear and a prime target for servers. Speak of the devil, here comes Kurenai." Naruto looked around avidly. Sure enough, a pretty woman with long dark hair tied back neatly was walking quickly over.

"Ah, Asuma, I've got one for you." As she handed over the order, she seemed to notice Naruto for the first time.

"Oh! You must be Naruto. Don't see many blonde, blue-eyed boys with scars like yours," she said with a grin.

"Iruka's told me so much about you. I hope that you like it here. You better do a good job, okay? I had to pull a few strings to get you here." Her tone was facetious, but Naruto could tell that her eyes were dead serious.

"Of course I will. Thanks so much for helping me out. Oh! And Iruka says, 'hi!'" She smiled at the mention of her friend's name.

"Tell him to come visit me some time. It's been ages since I last saw him. I haven't even seen his place and he's been living there for years! Helping him help you was the least I could do."

"You should come over for breakfast on- on Saturday. I mean tomorrow." He had to stop himself from saying Sunday. It would be nice of him to give her more time to think, but Sundays were his special days with Iruka. He didn't want to share those mornings with anyone else.

Despite the short notice, she gave him a small smile.

"I'd like that. I'll give him a call tonight, or we'll talk after work. But for now, let me get back to work and let you help Asuma with the order."

"Alright then."

* * *

­­­­­­­­­­­­ 

"Ah! Sasuke, doesn't this look wonderful?" He had to agree. The restaurant was decorated tastefully in somber colors. Pretty lanterns gave a soft glow to the room and the large windows around the perimeter gave a nice view of the city at night. His musings were interrupted shortly by a pretty young woman wearing a tasteful black dress.

"Hello, welcome to Omake. Is it just the two of you tonight, or are you waiting for another party?"

"Ah, thank you. Yes, just the two of us."

"Wonderful. And would you like a table next to the window? We have one available tonight."

"That would be great, thanks."

"Very well. If you'd follow me please?" The hostess turned around and led them to a small table next to one of the high windows. Sakura smiled in delight once she noticed that they would also have a great view of one of the large fish tanks placed throughout the room.

"So cool!" she said happily, following the path of a blowfish with her eyes. Noticing that Sakura's attention had drifted, the hostess looked to Sasuke.

"A server will be with you shortly. In the mean time, please take a look at the menus." With that, she distributed the two menus she had been carrying as well as the list of alcoholic beverages and the specials menu.

"Have a pleasant evening," she said with a smile before returning to the front of the restaurant. Sasuke turned his eyes to the menu. He really hoped that they served onigiri as a dinner option. And he was really craving some maki-zushi…

"Sakura," he said quietly. Nevertheless, the sound served it's purpose and jarred the pink-haired woman from her watching.

"What are you going to have?" he asked, knowing full well that she had yet to look at the menu.

"Oh, I don't know. I don't suppose you want to share dishes, eh?"

"Of course not," he sneered. Sharing was for plebeians or, or lovers – he blanched – and he and Sakura were neither. Sharing dishes meant possibly sharing germs and – he wrinkled his nose delicately. No. His companion sighed in annoyance, unaware of his inner diatribe.

"Fine, fine. I'll just have to get something that looks really delicious and then you'll regret not wanting to share." He most certainly would not. He would just get something that he really wanted and then he would have no reason to envy Sakura's dishes.

"Whatever." They both looked towards their menus avidly, looking for the most delicious dish that would suit their taste. Before either could report victory at having found the best item, they were interrupted by a cough. Looking towards the sound, Sasuke saw a woman around his age wearing a burnished red-brown button-down shirt and a knee length skirt. Ah, the waitress.

"I'm Karin. I will serve you- that is, I will be your server this evening." Sasuke raised an eyebrow. Was it just him, or was there something odd in the way she was looking at him? He had the _strangest_ feeling of deja-vu…

"Are you ready to order? Or would you like something to drink to get you started?" she said while staring fixedly at Sasuke. No question, definitely odd. He wondered if Sakura noticed it too. A quick look in her direction answered his question; she appeared as nonplussed as he was.

"I think that we need some more time to decide on our meals. But as for drinks, may I have a glass of Asahi Z beer please?" Karin nodded and leaned towards her notepad to write down the information.

"If that would be all, I'll be back with your order in a few moments," she said quickly before turning to leave. Sasuke raised his eyebrow a second time. Would she really walk away without asking for Sakura's drink? It appeared she would, he thought dryly, as she tucked her notepad into her belt primly and began walk away.

"Excuse me! Miss? Karin? Wait!" he said in a loud voice. She stopped upon hearing his words and then quickly returned to his table.

"Is there something else that Sir, desires?" she said while adjusting thick glasses.

"Yes-" he began. Sakura, however, was tired of being treated as if she did not exist and interrupted.

"You forgot my drink."

"Oh… how terribly… rude of me. And what do you want, Miss?" Karin seemed unperturbed by her customer's annoyed tone. Eyes wide and innocent, she looked towards Sakura expectantly.

"I'll have an Apple soda, _please_."

"Of course, of course. I'll be right back with your order," she said smoothly before walking away. Sasuke and Sakura stared at each other for a full moment before Sakura broke and said something.

"Man…" she said with a grin.

"That was… unusual."

"And you're still clueless." What?

"She obviously had some crush-thing on you. Didn't you see how she was staring? I bet that she'll ask for your number on the receipt!" He rolled his eyes.

"You watch too much daytime TV. It was probably nothing."

"Nothing, he says. Just you wait. Either that or she'll try and fight me for you. Did you see that look she gave me when I told her that she had forgotten my drink? Like she wanted to fry me."

"You're overreacting."

"I don't know, Sasuke. Kakashi told me that the girls were all over you in high school, and I know that they were scratching at your door in college," she reminded him gleefully. He growled low in his throat. Girls. He would have to kill Kakashi later. No one was to know about those embarrassing high school memories. Time for a suave subject change.

"I'm going to have the Katsuobushi Onigiri with the Omake House Curry. And you?" He ignored her small laugh at his less than subtle redirection of conversation. She took the hint however, and directed her eyes to the menu.

"Ah, I think that I'd like to try the Tempura with shrimp and vegetables. Do you want to get an appetizer?" Sasuke shrugged.

"We might as well. I can bring home anything that we can't finish. But it's up to you. Tempura doesn't keep very well in the refrigerator."

"Oh, you're right. And I hate wasting food. Better not," she said regretfully.

"Hn. If you finish, we can buy something for desert later."

"You mean _I _can buy something for desert later! Don't think that I'll forget who's paying here," she laughed. Sakura looked past his shoulder sharply for a moment and her laughter ceased.

"Oh good, here she comes with our drinks. Let's just hope that she doesn't think that I'm your date. I'd hate for her to 'accidentally' spill your beer all over my new dress."

* * *

Naruto bowed low as he chopped the shiitake mushrooms for the miso soup for table seventeen. Maybe, if he was unobtrusive and chopped quietly, Zabuza would not notice that he was slightly behind on the order. Unfortunately, an ominous presence was making itself known behind his left shoulder. 

"Uzumaki!" Naruto yelped at the loud voice and whirled around to face the figure he had hoped to avoid. He looked at his toes carefully. Maybe if he didn't look up, Zabuza would forget about him and go on his way. He chanced a look up and cringed. The big chef looked furious. Naruto relaxed minutely after remembering that Zabuza was always furious, but it was only a small comfort.

"Why isn't the miso ready yet for table seventeen?" he roared.

"I'm really sorry sir! I'm almost finished. Just let me finish cutting the mushrooms and plop them in the pot and then it should be done in like five minutes!" he said in a rush. He trembled and hoped fervently that Asuma would return from the freezers to rescue him. Instead, Zabuza gave him an intense look before adjusting his white bandana and scowling fiercely.

"Then what's stopping you? Keep going, would you?" he barked loudly before turning away and stomping off to harass Iwashi.

"But you were- I was- Argh!" Naruto indulged his frustration briefly by yanking his hair and growling at the world at large before returning quickly to cutting the mushrooms. When he finished, he brushed them into the bowl he had found in the cabinet next to the rice. He added his carefully cut green onions and seaweed to the bowl before bustling over to the steaming pot of miso. Soon enough, the mixture was ready to serve and he carried it carefully to back to his station after turning off the fire. He grabbed two of the fine crafted porcelain bowls from the shelf of dishes that Asuma had shown him after he had made his first meal two hours ago. That finished, he looked around furiously for the waitress who was in charge of his table. He spotted her standing next to a man with flaming orange hair.

"Karin!" he shouted over the din of the room. She looked around at him slowly with a bored expression on her face and Naruto fought the urge to cringe. She gave him serious heebie-jeebies; he just couldn't shake the feeling that she didn't like him. But that was neither here nor there…

"Table seventeen's miso is ready!" He shouted when she didn't approach. With that, she finally came forward and took the bowls without looking at him. He watched her walk away in confusion. Had he done something insulting? He couldn't remember annoying her…

"Don't worry, kid. She's like that with everyone," Asuma said from behind him. Naruto looked back at his teacher with confusion. The big man shrugged.

"Ever since she's been here. I haven't seen her ever take a real liking to anyone. So don't let it get to you." Naruto nodded before turning back to the cutting space. He just wouldn't let it bother him. He had enough to worry about after all. Speaking of which…

"Naruto, I just put on the rice for the onigiri and I gathered the pork and vegetables for the curry," he said while placing said items in front of Naruto.

"The bonito flakes and soy sauce are in the drawer with the spices. You have the House Curry recipe memorized, right?" Naruto nodded dazedly. So much to do…

"Good. Then I'll leave you to it. I'm making the tempura," he paused to grin at the annoyed pout on the blonde's face.

"Jeez! You guys are going to remind me of that for the rest of my life here. Is there _anyone_ that Ibiki didn't tell?"

"No," Asuma stated bluntly, enjoying the scrunched face that the blonde made before slumping over the cutting table with his head in his hands. Naruto supposed that maybe it was sort of funny. Who knew that oil could catch on fire that brilliantly anyways? Ugh. Maybe he'd laugh about it later, he thought, remembering the amused look in Ibiki's eyes. Much later.

"No time to think about it now, Naruto. Just get started. The rice should be finished in about twenty-five minutes at the low temperature I have it at now. That gives you plenty of time to make the curry, especially since I've gathered all the vegetables. You know where the pots are and everything. Let me know if you need a hand, okay?" Naruto nodded absently. Plenty of time? For a superhero maybe. He shook his head to clear such thoughts. Now was not the time to panic. He would just have to be a superhero right now, he thought as he gathered the vegetables he wanted and rapidly cleaned them in the sink.

That finished, he quickly began chopping the potatoes and slicing the pork. They would need to simmer first before being put in the stew. He placed them aside and began to chop the carrots, onions, and apples while deep in thought. He had made this curry, or curries like it, hundreds of times, but he had never made it in a setting like this before. He was actually a bit surprised to see it on the menu – it was not usually considered a classy dish. Most people eating out for Japanese wanted sushi or something equally foreign looking and elegant. Not curry. Naruto would have ordered curry.

Curry tasted like home to Naruto. It was a curious thing in actuality, because Naruto had inhabited many homes over the course of his short life. He had lived with his adopted grandfather, Sarutobi, in Osaka until he was eight when the old man had died of a heart attack. Then, he had been moved to California where Sarutobi's son resided. However, he had never felt as though he belonged in that house. Sarutobi's son had resented him for being so cherished by his father. Naruto felt uncomfortable there, even if he did enjoy his relationship as a pseudo older brother for Sarutobi's grandson Konohamaru. Naruto smiled softly as he simmered the potatoes and pork pieces together and then proceeded to stir absently at a pot of boiling water, salt, and butter. Konohamaru was a good kid.

In the end, the fate of his stay there hadn't really been his choice. He was a rough kid in middle school, and Konohamaru's father had kicked him out of the house when he was fourteen. He had said that he didn't want Naruto to be a bad influence on Konohamaru. Naruto understood his decision better with the passage of time, but remembering that time still burned. He was given money to continue his schooling and to pay for most of the cost of an apartment, but he was also made to promise not to see Konohamaru again. A promise that he mostly kept. Mostly. In truth, it was Konohamaru who had sought him out most of the time. When they were not meeting secretly face to face, they often called each other. Konohamaru's father had assumed that he had a girlfriend. Naruto snorted. As if.

That year, he had been forced to clean up his act and find a job to cover his rent and grocery charges. It was a long year. It was also the first year of high school, a factor that added unwanted social pressures and popularity crises. Naruto was never one of the popular kids, and more than once he had left school to find his bicycle trashed in the school courtyard.

Nevertheless, he had persevered. He'd gotten his grades up, and had excelled in his English and culinary classes. He made good friends, friends he still kept in touch with today, and he had managed to scrape enough money together to put into a nice savings account for college. Soon enough, he was applying to schools across the country and then the Seattle scholarship had fallen into his lap. Naruto laughed softly to himself as he added the onions, carrots and apples into the curry. He had gotten very drunk at the party he and his friends had thrown for that occasion…

Then his home became the apartment that he lived at now. With Iruka. Iruka was the one who taught him that real curry was to be made with love. He had guffawed at the time, but Iruka had just rolled his eyes with a "you'll see". And he did, the very first time that Iruka had made it for him. He could taste the difference from his earlier experiences at Sarutobi's house, or Konohamaru's father's, or when he made it for himself. And then he realized that none of those people had loved him quite like Iruka did – as a beloved friend. And then he had done something really embarrassing.

He had started to cry. Even now, he flushed thinking about it. But Iruka had just held him and let him cry until all the frustration and sadness was gone. After that, Iruka always made sure to make him curry once a week. Naruto, in return, would make it for his friend whenever he was not too tired or busy with work or school. Because of that experience, Naruto was no longer able to make curry without love or without thinking about those people that he loved. He wondered if other people would be able to taste the difference too.

"Uzumaki! That curry of yours better not be burning or I will have you remake it with your tears!" He jerked in response to the voice of his boss and quickly made his way over to his curry, leaving the onigiri insides he had been working on. In his haste to rescue his curry, he did not notice that his jerky response to Zabuza had caused him to add too much soy sauce to the bonito flakes in his bowl.

Unfortunately, no one else in the kitchen noticed either.

* * *

"Mmm. Everything smells so good Sasuke." 

"What are you talking about? Our dishes have yet to arrive, if you hadn't noticed."

"I'm not hallucinating, jerk, I was simply noting that the smells around us are certainly delicious." Sasuke grunted in response. On that point, he had to agree. He didn't really want to think about that however, because he was already very hungry. Not that he would tell Sakura this. She had teased him for days the last time he had dared to act human. Only she had used the word 'common' because she had decided to use his favorite phrase against him because she was annoying like that.

"And that miso was good too."

"Sakura, any idiot could make miso," he said with a sneer. 3 Sasuke ducked his head to hide a smile as he noticed that she was losing her temper with his attitude. But he knew that she would rather streak naked all the way home than yell at him in public like a nagging wife. He loved pushing her along that fine line. His smile sunk, however, when he realized that she would probably enact her sweet revenge at a later point in time after he had forgotten the incident. Sakura never forgot anything. He was saved from having further thoughts of impending revenge by the reappearance of their waitress.

He wondered if 'saved' was an apt choice of words after noticing the affixed stare that their server had on his person. But then again, she was carrying their food, so maybe this wouldn't prove to be too damaging.

"Here are Sir's Katsuobushi Onigiri and Omake House Curry," she purred, placing said dishes in front of Sasuke gracefully. He noted absently that she had removed her glasses and placed them somewhere inconspicuous. Then all thoughts of odd waitresses and glasses fled his mind. Food at last. Everything certainly looked good. The onigiri had been shaped nicely and the curry was a nice warm shade of brown.

"And your Tempura with vegetables and steamed rice," Karin said curtly without looking at Sakura directly. She placed her dishes with care, but lacking the grace that she had shown moments earlier.

"…Thanks," Sakura said dryly.

"Is there anything else that I can do for you?" Sasuke leaned away from the waitress now standing at an uncomfortably close distance. He gave the woman a sharp look.

"No. That will be all." With that and a last soulful look in his direction, she left abruptly.

"Not a word, Sakura," he said wryly as he noticed his companion opening her mouth. She snapped it shut with a slight pout. Fortunately for Sasuke, she was immediately distracted by the presence of their dinners. She lifted her chopsticks with an experienced hand and moved forward to grasp a breaded shrimp with the wooden prongs. Meanwhile, Sasuke looked to his own dish, almost at a loss. Should he eat the onigiri now? Or save it for later?

He would save it. He liked it best when it was slightly cool anyways. It reminded him of the bento lunches that his mother used to make him as a child and that he sorely missed in college and even now. But that was a white lie. His mother had stopped making him onigiri long before he had entered college. But those were thoughts that he did not care to dwell on. He shook his head minutely and grasped his soup spoon tightly before scooping up a large portion of the curry and bringing it to his mouth. He blew on the contents delicately before putting the spoon into his mouth.

His eyes widened. It was delicious, that was true, but there was something else. Something else that Sasuke had never tasted before. He had eaten curry countless times throughout his childhood, and he had made it himself a few times in college and out of college. But this was, this was different. But it was the strangest thing – he couldn't pinpoint _why_ it tasted so different. He continued to take slow bites as he considered the contents of his plate. It had the typical vegetables, and some pieces of apple for sweetness, and even the typical spices. So why was it so different? Why was it giving him the strangest feeling in his chest?

He ate slowly in order to savor each bite. But there was another reason for this slowness – for some reason, he did not want to have to stop eating it. He felt silly, but he couldn't help but wonder how he would feel when it was gone. He smirked at himself. How ridiculous, to feel a loss when one's food was gone. Yet despite his inner teasing, he did not quicken his pace.

"Do you like it, Sasuke?" his friend asked politely. He nodded, unsure how to put the strange feeling into words.

"And you? How is the tempura?" he asked in return. She grinned.

"Delicious. Are you jealous?" He smiled.

"Terribly," he said lowly. She laughed and his own smile grew. It was always a treat when he was able to make her laugh. He did not have a gift for it like most people, and he did not feel comfortable making typical jokes or emulating slapstick humor, making it all the more special when one of his attempts was successful.

"Aren't you going to eat your onigiri?"

"Yes." But even so, he hesitated before taking that first bite. Would it have the same strange flavor attached as the curry had? Did he want it to? With those thoughts in mind, he carefully picked up one of his rice balls and took a large bite.

He was tempted to spit it out immediately afterwards, only his well-ingrained table manners saving him from that faux pas. It was horrible. The bonito was much too salty and the rice immediately adjacent to the insides was wet with soy sauce. He swallowed his portion in disgust.

"Sasuke? What's wrong?" Sakura said with a concerned tone. Sasuke scowled. She must have read the look of distaste on his face. He was unreasonably angry. He was annoyed at his childhood favorite being corrupted in this way, but he was mainly angry at himself for believing that the onigiri would hold the same strange flavor and feeling that the curry had. He felt foolish.

"The onigiri… Some idiot added way too much soy sauce. It's inedible."

"Really? How horrible! My dish was really good. And you looked like you enjoyed the curry." At the mention of the last, Sasuke's unreasonable anger flared to new heights. Where was that server of theirs? He would get to the bottom of this immediately. He spotted her easily as she was refilling glasses of water at another patron's table.

"Karin!" he beckoned loudly enough to capture her attention. Once he had, he crocked a finger at her imperiously. She smiled eerily before heading over to their table.

"How may I be of service?" she asked silkily.

"My onigiri. It is too salty. I want to talk to your manager." She raised one eyebrow before nodding slowly and gathering his onigiri plate.

"Whatever Sir wishes," she murmured before leaving in the direction of the kitchens. He looked to Sakura who seemed baffled and a little confused.

"Was it really that bad, Sasuke? You've never sent anything back before." He grunted in response. He was still ridiculously upset, even more so because he could not really pinpoint why. He scowled down at his empty curry bowl, not wanting to see Sakura's concerned gaze but feeling it nonetheless. Soon enough, however, he was able to forget his friend's concern as Karin and two large men made their way over to his table.

"Good evening Sir, my name is Ibiki Morino and I am the owner of this establishment. I am truly sorry that your meal was not up to standards. This is Asuma, the chef in charge of your dish." Ibiki then turned to the man next to him expectantly.

"I am truly sorry for the problem with your onigiri, Sir. I won't give you excuses, as I am sure that you do not want to hear them, but I am sorry that you might have come to regret your experience here." Ibiki nodded at his chef before turning back to Sasuke.

"May I perhaps interest you in a free desert or even a free meal for two for a later date in response to this problem?" He said politely. Under normal conditions, Sasuke would have accepted the apologies and the free meal and moved on. But tonight he was feeling exceedingly unusual. He felt unreasonably disappointed still, and his confusion about the source of that numbing disappointment was making him edgy and irritated.

"Why should I accept anything more from this establishment? Why don't you just pay for this meal and leave it at that. And you can count on me to never enter-" He was interrupted by a blonde man running from the kitchens and wearing the same uniform as Asuma.

"Wait! Wait, wait, wait! It isn't Asuma's fault – it's my fault and he was covering for me. I made the dishes. I must have screwed up. Don't blame him! He said that…" As the blonde neared them, Sasuke made a painful connection. No… it couldn't be. Blue eyes. He felt his stomach drop to his toes.

"Naruto…" he said softly without really thinking about it. The man in question turned away from pleading with Ibiki to look at him for the first time. His face sank in an unplanned mimicry of Sasuke's stomach.

"What the hell are you doing here, bastard?" he asked with a scowl. Asuma rolled his eyes heavenward as Ibiki gave Naruto a rough smack on the back of his head.

"Idiot! Is that anyway to talk to a customer? What did I tell you-" Ibiki continued ranting and Naruto looked remorsefully down at his feet. Sasuke, however, was stuck on something the blonde had said earlier.

"You, Naruto, you made curry for me?" he asked as though in a daze. His conscious was supplying helpful images of Naruto in the small kitchen of his own apartment. Naruto making him onigiri with a smile. Naruto-

"No. I made curry for a _customer_. I didn't make it for _you_." And wasn't that the God-honest truth of it. Sasuke snapped back to himself and looked away from that face. It was then that Naruto appeared to recognize Sakura.

"Oh… Hi Sakura. I didn't see you there. I hope that you're well. I'm sorry that I can't take credit for _your_ dish, but that was all Asuma. But if all goes well, maybe I can cook for you some other time, eh? I'll talk to you later." Sasuke felt his jaw twitch miserably.

"You bet your skinny butt that it will be later. Get out of here, kid. I'll talk to you _later_." Sasuke and Naruto both flinched at the ominous implications of that last word.

"Asuma, you can head back too." The large man grunted before heading out after his charge.

"May I have the free meal for two please? And the check?" Sasuke asked quickly, feeling drained. He no longer felt the powerful anger or self-righteous feelings that he had only moments ago. Ibiki frowned at him slightly before nodding.

"Of course. Karin?" The woman nodded in understanding before walking off quickly.

"And don't worry about Naruto, Sir. He will be dealt with." Sasuke supposed that that was meant to make him feel vindicated. However, as it was, he only felt slightly sick. Had he just gotten Naruto fired?

Karin soon arrived with the check and a paper that Sasuke could see was the gift certificate. She placed both on his table and cleared the curry dish from in front of him. Ibiki leaned over to sign and validate the certificate.

"If that will be all, Sir and Madam. Thank you for your understanding." Ibiki said the last with a slight bow before returning to the kitchens with a purposeful stride.

Almost mechanically, Sasuke reached into his wallet and found his credit card. He was stopped by a hand at his wrist. Looking up, he found that Sakura was staring at him with an odd expression.

"Sasuke, it's my treat, remember?" He had not remembered. He looked on, feeling slightly abashed, as his friend retrieved her credit card from her sparkly purse. She placed it in the available compartment of the leather check holder and handed it to Karin who was waiting patiently to her right. She walked off with it quickly, leaving Sasuke alone to handle Sakura and whatever words of comfort she was planning.

"Sasuke…." She started worriedly. He knew that tone. He only hoped that Karin arrived with the check before Sakura continued that train of thought with her usual persistent manner. He leaned back in his chair slowly while looking away from his friend. Now was not the time to have a soul searching discussion. This was certainly not the place for such a thing either.

"Not now, Sakura." Not ever, if he could help it.

He felt lost, and very odd. All he wanted was to get out of this place and ignore the nagging sensation in the back of his mind that told him that he might have just cost Naruto his job. And that Naruto's eyes were very blue when he was angry.

"It'll blow over-" she started. Thankfully, whatever sentiments that she planned on distributing were cut short at the appearance of their waitress.

"If Madam would just sign here. The receipt on the side is for your personal use. You may leave the other check on the table. Once again, Omake apologizes for the trouble tonight. We do hope that you choose to come again, once the situation has been _dealt with_." With that, she bowed slightly before turning and walking back to the podium. What was that supposed to mean?

Sasuke stood elegantly as she signed the check and gathered his light summer coat from the back of his chair before turning back to Sakura.

"Ready?" he asked.

"Yes." She enfolded the check into it's leather case and grabbed the customer's receipt before standing. In a half crouch, she paused, frozen over her chair. Mouth opened in slight surprise, she stared intently at the paper. Then she began to smile, albeit weakly, as she rose to full height.

"It looks like I was right after all," she said with that same wry grin. She held out the receipt expectantly. Unwilling to prolong their stay, but curious all the same, Sasuke took it quickly.

He almost dropped it in surprise, but at this moment in time was unable to share Sakura's humor. He might be able to laugh later, he thought, as he handed the receipt – and Karin's scrawled message with her telephone number – back to Sakura.

Much later.

* * *

1 I promise that there is a reason that Naruto says this even though he is living in Seattle and has no Japanese relatives nearby. Some of this is explained later on in this chapter, and more will be explained in the next two. The reason that Iruka makes Japanese curry is because… I needed him to, and because he is originally from Japan. 

2 I'm sorry. I couldn't resist :).

3 This is true. I can make miso and I have no culinary talents.

The Asuma of my story is not related to Sarutobi.

All of the information that I used for talking about Japanese cuisine was gleaned from two main sources: www (dot) ethnicfoodsco (dot) com / Japan / CulinaryVegetables (dot) htm AND Wikipedia's section on Japanese cuisine. If anything is correct or insultingly wrong, I am very sorry and I will do my best to edit it out as per suggestions.

AN: Well, I hope that you guys liked this chapter. I know there is not very much Sasuke/Naruto action, but you'll just have to trust me on that front. It'll happen when it happens.

I was totally blown away by the response to this fic and once again I am extremely grateful. You all certainly encourage me to keep writing, and quickly at that. And TL, thank you for being so awesome!

- FP


	3. Chapter 3

**Luck of the Draw** (3/4)

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto™ or its characters. If I did, let's just say it'd be a very _different_ sort of manga/anime…

AN/Warnings: There will be hintings and flirtations with pairings that interfere with the sasunaru, **but they are not going to last long or be central to the story**. This is an AU where a slightly older Naruto and Sasuke are living in the modern world.

Thank you, thank you, thank you to all that have reviewed! I hope that you all enjoy this chapter - it was harder for me to write that the previous two.

And to my lovely beta, Tirra Lirra, thank you for sticking with me even though this chapter took forever and I was probably annoying :). Thank you!

* * *

Naruto woke with a groan as sunlight flickered over his face. Why the hell did he have such a large hangover? Let's see, there was work yesterday, and then… what the hell had happened? Naruto wrinkled his brow as he fought to remember, but soon gave up after it only proved to make his headache more fierce around his temples. The evening was a fuzzy blur, but he decided to leave it alone. It would probably come back to him later.

Three hours later, he roused himself with a yelp and a quick jump upright.

"Holy fuck!" When he had mused that it would come to him later, he had been hoping for the _much later_ end of the scale. Ugh… what a night. He flopped bonelessly back onto the bed and threw an arm over his face to block the persistent sunlight.

After the whole problem with that bastard Sasuke from the dating clinic, his almost successful night had gone abruptly downhill. Ibiki had given him the talking-to of his life before passing him off to a furious Zabuza. He still had yet to decide which experience was scarier and more emotionally scarring. Ibiki had that 'I'll kill you while you sleep' thing working for him, but Zabuza certainly rocked the 'I'll kill you in new and interesting ways' vibe. He shuddered.

In the end, he had not been fired as he had anticipated. He had never been so relieved. He was going to have enough trouble dealing with Iruka's disappointment for merely messing up. He hated to think of what Iruka would say if he found out that he'd been fired on his first day.

He wasn't fired, but he had been placed under Anko's special surveillance for the rest of the night. Naruto moaned. He was sure that there were laws somewhere against the mental – and slightly physical – abuse that constituted her _special_ surveillance. To add insult to injury, at the end of the night Anko told Ibiki that she liked working with Naruto. Ibiki had then 'thoughtfully' placed Naruto under her care for the next month. Naruto had kept his mouth carefully shut, knowing very well that he was on thin ice, but a little part of him had died on the inside. A whole _month_ with Anko?

Something must have shown on his face, for then Asuma had come to offer some words of comfort. Naruto didn't think that "I'll pay for your funeral, kid" was very comforting, but he appreciated the sentiment all the same. He still couldn't believe that Asuma had been ready to take the fall for him. Asuma had said that there would be less punishment for a tenure worker like himself. However, listening at the kitchen doors to what he imagined to be Asuma getting chewed out, Naruto had caved quickly.

After his shift was over, he had helped Anko clean up their area wearily and had changed into his street clothes. Just before he was able to trudge outside, Kurenai had stopped him with a hand at his elbow. He had cringed in response, he remembered vaguely, sure that she was about to hit him. However, she had been very kind about the whole thing and asked if he wanted to go out for a drink with her and some of the other kitchen staff. Remembering his earlier conversation with Asuma, he had quickly agreed. And that was where the trouble that led to his current headache had started.

He had gotten truly, astoundingly drunk in a very short amount of time. Naruto smiled ruefully as he rolled himself to his feet and shuffled into the kitchen and, more importantly, to the coffee machine. He sifted the ground coffee beans into a filter, careful not to spill even a grain of the life-giving drug. He then poured water into the top portion of the machine before standing back to let it work its magic.

Hazy details of his drunken escapades filtered around his mind. They had gone to the bar that Haku worked at, he remembered finally. At the time, it had been somewhat of a pleasant surprise. He never could remember the name of the place, and so he had not known until entering that it was Haku's bar. However, he didn't really want to share the details of his awful first day with his friend, especially while it was still so fresh in his mind. Therefore, he had proceeded to become as drunk as possible in as little time as possible. Poor Haku. He'd have to call him today to make sure that his friend wasn't angry at him for behaving so poorly.

Then again… was that memory of Zabuza flirting with his friend real? Nah… couldn't be. Zabuza didn't like people. He didn't. Of that Naruto was very certain. He shoved the thought away quickly as the coffee machine announced with a shrill whistle that it was finished with the morning brew. He turned off the appliance and reached above it to grab a mug from one of the hangers he had installed there. He then poured his coffee with bleary eyes and quickly brought it to his lips. Taking a moment to inhale the rich aroma, Naruto sighed. There was nothing quite like coffee. He tilted the mug and took a small swallow.

Cradling his drink carefully, he sat down slowly at the kitchen table. What a night. He had not gotten that drunk in a very long time. He had not been a heavy drinker in college. Being on a scholarship that could be revoked at any mention of unreasonable behavior certainly cooled any inclinations to indulge in activities like partying hard. It had sunk in especially hard after he had witnessed other people getting the boot for similar reasons. And now, he was on scholarship once again at UDub for their graduate program. Now that he was of age, he liked to get buzzed now and again with friends, but he would forever be careful about his drinking habits.

He was interrupted from his thoughts by the feeling of a soft presence winding its way around his legs. He smiled wearily before pushing his chair back slowly. Sure enough, his lovely orange tabby was looking up at him curiously with pale green eyes.

"H'lo, Spiky." He scooped his furry friend from the floor with one hand and plopped him onto the table softly. He rubbed noses sleepily with his pet before leaning back and raising his coffee back to his face once again. It was after this second gulp that he noticed what Mr. Spiky had attached to his collar. With a puzzled frown, Naruto placed the coffee on the table before reaching towards his kitty and detaching the rolled note that someone had attached to his collar with a rubber band.

"Naruto," he read aloud, "Come to my apartment when you get a chance. I talked to Kurenai last night – she was nice enough to bring you home after calling me for the address. It sounds as if you could use a free dinner and a listening ear. I'm visiting Kurenai and some old friends today, but I should be home at around seven or so, I think. Stop by around then, okay kiddo? Love, Iruka." Naruto put down the note as he finished reading and turned to his feline companion.

"What the- how on earth did he get this on you? Ah, never mind. I'll put it down to Iruka's amazing superpowers and leave it at that." Mr. Spiky concurred with a soft 'meow' before leaping gracefully from the table and sauntering into the adjoining living room. Naruto straightened the note absently as he finished his coffee. Iruka had sounded pleasant in the note, but Naruto knew that he would be subject to a lecture. Iruka hated it when he drank – another reason why he stayed away from drinking heavily. Naruto also expected to be on the receiving end of some intense twenty questions about what had gone wrong last night.

He looked up from his empty Seattle Mariners mug and towards the microwave clock. It was two thirty. He had five and a half hours to make himself presentable and to make some sort of dessert that might take the edge off of whatever lecture that Iruka was cultivating. Something with lots of chocolate. Maybe he could find the recipe for that awesome Devil's Food Cake that Temari always made on his birthday.

Putting thoughts of creamy chocolate frosting and moist cake out of his mind, he decided to work on the first of those priorities. Looking human. Right. A headache was still pounding dully in the back of his eyes, but it had certainly decreased in intensity since that morning. That was good. But he did feel dehydrated and a bit nauseous. Not so good. He grabbed two aspirin and a Maalox from the cabinet above the dishwasher and swallowed them down with a long drink from a bottle of purple Gatorade he had found in the refrigerator.

After placing both items back in their original habitats, he decided that it was definitely time for a shower. He still smelled like sweat, cigarette smoke, and beer from the night before. Whoever had put him into bed the night before – and he hoped fervently that that person was Iruka and not a coworker who would lord the experience over his head later – had thoughtfully removed his shoes, socks, and jeans, but had not changed his clothes. Which, he had to admit, would probably have been really embarrassing anyways. He quickly made his way to the bathroom and prepared for a nice warm shower.

Not a second after he had finished his relaxing shower, he heard someone pound the knocker on his door obnoxiously.

"Who the hell…" he muttered to himself. He was not expecting someone. A quick glance at the clock in his bedroom proved that it was only four o' clock. Three hours too early for Iruka to come looking for him. Not that he would ever knock that rudely.

Curiosity winning over laziness, he made his way to the door in his towel. He opened the door quickly, but upon seeing who was on the other side of said door, closed it just as quickly.

"Oi! Naruto! No need to be testy, mate. Open the door!" Naruto sighed. He really was not in the mood to entertain tonight. Especially because he would have to share the cake he was just about to get started on. However, if he didn't open the door, he knew that there would be hell to pay later. He sighed and opened it a second time.

"Kiba. Shikamaru."

"Ouch, man, I'm hurt. Is that how you treat your best buddies?"

"Why are you here? At four o'clock without calling first?" Naruto was a trusting guy, but there was something off about the smile on Kiba's face. Something a bit too… what was it…. Sadistically gleeful?

"Think about it, Naruto," Shikamaru said slowly while shuffling past his friend and into the kitchen. Glutton, Naruto thought distractedly.

"Think about where you were last night. Who you were _with_…" Shikamaru's level voice drifted back to where Naruto and Kiba still stood in the doorway. Naruto's eye's widened. How could-

"_Haku_," Kiba started, taking much too much pleasure in his friend's discomfort, "called us last night, or was it early this morning? Anyway, he called both of us to relate the message that you'd gotten totally smashed and really fucked yourself over. Said you were muttering something about 'stupid handsome bastards' and 'legions of doom.' Are you following me here?" Naruto nodded dumbly.

"So he says to me and Shika, 'Can you two stop over and look after Naruto?' And being the stand-up good friend that I am, how could I refuse?" he said with a grin. Naruto moaned softly. He had a feeling he did not want to know how Kiba took care of people with hangovers. Probably by playing Kiss' Alive! CD at top volume, he thought wryly. He loved his friends, really he did, but sometimes they really seemed to find too much enjoyment in making him the victim of their schadenfreude amusements.

To be fair, he did the same thing in return. But come on! Anyone would have laughed at Kiba that one time he had accidentally snagged himself on the ceiling fan while redecorating his apartment…

Kiba continued onwards, blithely unaware of Naruto's inner thoughts.

"Oh, and Haku said that anything that you think you might have seen with him and Zabuza certainly, most definitely, did not happen and that you must have hallucinated," Kiba said with a confused face. Naruto's own visage turned slightly green. No… they couldn't have… Could they have?

"I don't want to know, do I?" Kiba asked warily. Naruto shook his head 'no' while trying desperately to dislodge certain mental images.

"So…" his friend drawled, taking a step closer. Naruto narrowed his eyes suspiciously in response.

"We're going to take real good care of you today!" Naruto pouted inwardly. No cake today. And he would have to share his Iruka-meal later on too. And, he thought with a wince, he would have witnesses to the impending lecture. Damn.

"So, buddy boy, get ready to be comforted!" With that, Kiba gave him a hard smack on the back and moved past him. Naruto moved to close the door when, quick as a flash, Kiba reached back to grab the end of the towel slung around his waist and _pulled_, leaving him exposed to the world, and especially to old Mrs. Partridge who had just opened her door across the way and was now giving him an appreciative look. He flushed darkly and slammed the door quickly.

"Ki-BA!"

* * *

He was losing his mind. That was all there was to it.

It was Monday. Almost a week after the session and three full days after the fiasco at the restaurant.

So why the hell was he still thinking about Naruto?

He must, he concluded again, be losing his mind. From his blanketed cocoon on the bed, Sasuke began to tick off points of evidence. He had work in two hours, but until then, he had time to analyze said loss of mind functions and to maybe, perhaps, work at gaining them back.

First point of evidence, he thought with a slight scowl, is that Naruto very obviously didn't like him. Therefore, it should stand to reason that he gracefully step down and stop moping about unchangeable things.

Second point: He had no reason to like the idiot that much in the first place. They had only met for twenty minutes in a very structured setting designed to bring out the most attractive qualities of each individual. So what if the blonde had a strong character? And had a solid, if slightly immature, sense of humor? And- and had opinions about loneliness that were very similar to his own. And was fun to tease. And had beautiful- nice- okay eyes. And had a nice figure- Stop! He shook his head sharply. That was the bad path from with the fixated thoughts had appeared in the first place. No good. Backtrack… where was he? Oh yes. Examples of how this oddness has affected his brain. Right. So. No reason to be so attracted, check.

Third point: Sakura liked Naruto. His stomach gave an uncomfortable flip. He would lay his life down for Sakura, he reminded his protesting middle coolly. Therefore, he should stop impeding any sort of possible relationship between them. If Sakura no longer thought he was _pining_ – he sneered at the word – then maybe she'd get a move on with her own love life. Sasuke could be asexual if it would make Sakura happy. There was something wrong with that train of thought, but Sasuke was on a roll and much too comfortable to discover how.

Fourth point: Independently from Sakura, the chances that he would see Naruto again were slim to none. There was no way that he was going to show his face in Omake again. The only reason he had chosen the free meal option was because he had wanted to get out of there as soon as possible, and not sit around for dessert. He could just give the certificate to one of the people at work. Sasuke flinched and amended that thought; he would give it to someone at work that was not stupidly infatuated with him. He did not need anyone thinking that he or she was receiving an invitation to a date or a declaration of love. No. He would learn from the mistakes of others. Poor Alec from accounting…

Right. Back to the point. He would never see the man again, so there was no reason to think of him any more. He would not set foot in that restaurant again and even if- even if he did, he thought gloomily, Naruto probably wouldn't be there as Sasuke had likely gotten him fired, or at least in trouble with the upper heads. So, therefore-

His repetitive thoughts slammed to an abrupt halt as he paused, thinking something over furiously. Wait a minute…

"That's it!" Sasuke said proudly, rousing himself to sit fully upright on his large bed.

He was feeling guilty! That _must_ be it. For some reason, he was blaming himself for possibly taking away the other man's livelihood. That must be why he had been thinking about the blonde so intently. Now all he had to do was help the situation somehow and then he would be able to forget about it. It should be easy enough. It had to be.

He swung his legs onto the floor and slid out of bed quickly. His hair was sleep mussed and pillow creases had imprinted themselves on his left cheek. His eyes, however, were blazing with the birth of a million different schemes and a satisfied smirk was stretched across his lips.

What he should do, he thought as he brushed his teeth efficiently, was find Sakura. Well, first, he should go to work. But after work, he would go straight to Sakura's home and demand answers. She probably knew what the blonde liked or disliked. Whereas his conversation with the blonde had revolved around clever insults and slices of life, Sakura probably talked with him about the suggested topics. After talking with her, he could, he- he would! He would buy something as compensation for the emotional strain that he had placed on the blonde. He nodded decisively, almost jabbing himself in the nostril with his toothbrush.

He would bring the gift-thing over to Omake. Naruto probably wasn't fired. He had probably just come to that conclusion earlier because of the guilt for causing trouble and the shock of seeing him again in such a place. Naruto was probably just in some sort of trouble, he concluded while adjusting his tie smartly. After handing over the gift, he would talk to the owner of the place – what was his name? Abiki?(1) Whatever. They would talk and then he could make sure that the blonde was not in trouble and then he could go on his merry way. Except that Uchihas were never merry, so he would go on his way stoically and politely.

Perfect. What could go wrong? And he would be free of the odd plaguing thoughts forever. Sasuke grabbed his briefcase, keys, and blazer and made his way out the door. Perfect.

At work that day, his secretary almost dropped her coffee as he smiled at her. In the meeting rooms and cubicles, he left a path of curious destruction with his suspiciously good mood – the workplace would not recover for days.

In the mean time, his certificate for a free meal at Omake rested innocently on his dining room table, forgotten.

* * *

Naruto iced the cake carefully. Messy cake had a time and a place, and his ex-boyfriend's cute little niece's fifth birthday party was not such a place. Little Matsuri may not notice if her cake was a bit sloppy, but Naruto knew that Gaara would. Gaara was paying him, after all, and he would expect nothing but the best.

Gaara had called him yesterday afternoon to ask if he would make it. He had told Gaara to let him make for free, but Gaara had always been kind of funny about gifts; he had always hated receiving them, and he seemed clueless about giving them. Naruto only hoped that Kankuro and his wife were prepared for whatever odd present Gaara had found for their pride and joy. Then again, after last year's present – the one that had ended in tears and widespread panic and toddler brawling – Naruto doubted that they could be surprised by whatever gift he came up with for this year.

With a last swipe of his butter knife, Naruto finished frosting the gooey chocolate cake. He stepped back to admire his masterpiece. Matsuri was going to be a cool kid, he thought admiringly while inspecting the green cake. Usually shy and withdrawn, she had apparently been adamant in requesting that her birthday cake be that color.

He licked the last of the sugary green treat off of the knife before setting it into the sink, thinking. As he was doing so, he reached up to scratch an itchy nose, unknowingly smearing green across his face while doing so. He had two hours until the party. Gaara had asked him to show up at two thirty with the cake so that they could hide it before Matsuri and her mummy came back from the petting zoo with all of her birthday guests. Therefore, he should leave at about two fifteen. He needed to let the base frosting on the cake stiffen before carefully writing the words 'Happy Birthday, Matsuri' on the green surface. Then, he would decorate it with Oreos chunks and those cute animal chocolates he had found at the grocery store during his trip last night. He had also picked up a neat tiger plushie that he had spotted on one of the toy racks. He hoped that Matsuri would like it.

Worrying about the cake and the party also kept him from thinking too hard about Gaara. Gaara who had called him for a favor after almost complete silence for eight months. Naruto had seen him often, but only in a group and never really one on one. Not since they had broken up.

His relationship with Gaara had been… intense. That was really the only word for it. They had endured some spectacular fights and, he smiled crookedly, the sex had always been very passionate. He had also felt that Gaara understood him on a deeper level than most people did.

But he had been the one to break up with Gaara, not the other way around. At the time, it had seemed like the right thing to do. It still seemed like it was the right thing to do. Gaara needed someone who would be consistent and rarely spontaneous. Naruto was the reverse. While he was loyal and always kept his promises, his life was in constant motion and change. He had goals like any other person, but his methods of achieving them ranged from the unconventional to the inconceivable. He liked to keep his options open and to be as limitless as possible. And it had driven Gaara up the wall.

Gaara was stoic almost to a fault, but when they were together, Naruto could always tell when Gaara was confused or frustrated by his lover. Gaara wanted to be able to define him, to understand him completely. He couldn't grasp that by doing that, by placing him under a label, he was failing to understand his boyfriend in a way more powerful than any other action he could take. And Naruto had decided that it would be best to call it quits.

He had loved Gaara. Hell, he probably still did in some way, shape, or form. Sometimes when he looked at Gaara, something would burn just a little bit in his chest and he would be forced to look away. He wondered sometimes, but he always stamped on those thoughts ruthlessly as soon as they began to clamor out of their tightly sealed closet in the back of his mind. It was no use thinking about could-have-beens and might-have-beens. Sometimes intense love and passion weren't enough, and that was that.

He gathered the plastic baggy with the white frosting and cut a small hole in the tip. Yet before touching the renovated tip to the top of the cake, he paused to smile surreptitiously at the yellow post-it note on the counter that held Ino's cell phone number and the time that they were meeting at later.

Sometimes, it was best to start a relationship simply with a little compatibility.

* * *

Sasuke knocked loudly on the door of Sakura's apartment. The old landlady had recognized him in the lobby and had kindly allowed him to make his way upstairs without keying into the main stairwell.

Eventually, the door opened. However, instead of meeting the green eyes of his friend, he found himself facing Kakashi instead. This in itself would not have been a terribly unusual sight, if not for one thing.

Other than the red boxers that he was wearing, Kakashi was as naked as the day he was born.

"Kakashi?" he said slowly. He had the distinct pleasure of finding that he had caught his usually unshakable friend off guard. Kakashi's hair was a mess and the eye not covered by his eye patch was wide with surprise.

"Uhm…"

"What are you doing-" he began, but he was soon interrupted by the arrival of his pink-haired friend.

"Kakashi! What is taking so long? Come back to bed- oh." She said the last quietly, looking at Sasuke with round eyes. She was wearing a green shirt that was too large for her – _Kakashi's_, his mind supplied helpfully – and a dainty pair of pink underwear that Sasuke could have really lived his whole life without seeing. Her hair was equally as mussed as Kakashi's and- was that a hickey on her collar?

"Uhm…"

"Please tell me I'm not seeing what I'm seeing," he blurted. Her responding flinch answered his plea better than any spoken statement could. A small voice in the back of his mind piped up unhelpfully that this certainly took care of point number three. He batted it away quickly.

"Ah, why don't you come in and sit down, Sasuke? We should probably talk." Kakashi nodded dumbly along with her proposal before moving aside to usher his friend into the apartment space.

"Sakura, why don't you get some pants on or something, and grab me a shirt from the bedroom while you're at it. I'll get Sasuke settled in the living room," he said quietly. Sakura looked down at herself, confused, before giving and embarrassed squeak and rushing to the bedroom, face a violent red.

Sasuke and Kakashi made their way into the living room silently. Even Sasuke's well-ingrained mannerisms did not hold a clause for what to say when one finds one's best friends sleeping together behind one's back. He was saved from painfully awkward small talk with the arrival of a much more covered Sakura. His eyes were safe for now. If only, he thought desperately, there was some way to take care of the horrific mental images.

After tossing Kakashi a black shirt, Sakura sat next to him on the couch parallel to the lounge chair that Sasuke was occupying. She had placed herself a good foot away from her – Lover? Boyfriend? Fuckbuddy? – friend, and held herself stiffly. She looked small and unsure in his eyes. He resisted the urge to sigh. They had obviously done it already – there was no use in being shy about it now.

"How long?" he asked simply once it appeared that they were settled.

"A month and a half," Kakashi answered calmly. He placed an arm around the back of Sakura's seat and she seamed to relax visibly. He noted this with an eye for detail before redirecting himself to the conversation.

"I see. And why did you decide to, to keep it from me?" This time Sakura answered him. She placed one hand in her _lover's_ before speaking.

"Well, I wasn't too sure how you would take it. Kakashi's a bit older than me," A _bit?_ "and then I didn't want you to feel left out or awkward in our company. I didn't want you to treat either of us differently."

"Sakura. You are my best friend," he said, ignoring Kakashi who huffed indignantly.

"I think you can do better," he drawled, smirking inwardly at the glare Kakashi leveled at him, "but I am not so naïve as to believe I can direct your choices." In truth, Sasuke was… happy for them. He worried about Sakura's lack of potential dates, which was probably the main reason he had agreed to attend that stupid 'Luck of the Draw'- wait a minute.

"Sa-ku-ra," he growled. She cowered slightly into her lover, but held his eyes steadily. At another time, he might have appreciated this. It meant that he had trained her well. Now, however, was not one of those times.

"Why the hell did you ask me to go to a dating clinic with you if you were already taken!" he said loudly.

"Well, um, it was sort of a collaborative idea. It was Kakashi who came up with the main scheme."

Sasuke muttered "I bet he was" lowly at the same time Kakashi directed a whispered "traitor!" in Sakura's direction. However, the look that Kakashi turned to him was anything but fearful or repentant.

In fact, the bastard looked downright smug.

"We were worried about you, Sasuke. You have not had any new relationships in a long time. You've known me and Sakura for at least four years each. And we're probably your only close friends." Sasuke looked away. Well, yes, he was right, but that still didn't explain the dating clinic.

"We decided to set up a situation in which you would meet new people and possibly spark a romantic encounter with someone. We knew that you wouldn't go by yourself, but that you would possibly go if Sakura asked you to. Sakura thought that it would be a fun place to meet people too." Well, that explained a lot. The gay and straight clinic, the lack of dates Sakura had attended even after the clinic, the reason she had pushed so hard to find out who he had felt the greatest connection with, trying to provoke him into seeing Naruto…

Naruto. With that, he remembered his original purpose in coming to this place. And now, he thought wryly, it would serve the purpose of getting him out of this emotional mess for the time being.

"Look. I came here for a favor- for information. You now owe me for damages caused by your misguided attempts at improving my happiness, so I hope that you'll decide to give it to me with minimal questions or," he said with a glare in Kakashi's direction, "unnecessary comments." When he received slightly bemused nods and words of agreement from the other two, he began to tell them his brilliant plan.

It was still perfect. This Kakashi-Sakura growth had nothing to do with the original plan, and therefore the union could not possibly affect it. Nothing could go wrong.

* * *

"-happy birthday, dear 'Suri, happy birthday to you!" Naruto sang loudly with a broad smile. He didn't have what people would call a singing voice, per say, but he doubted that anyone would notice amidst the shrieking of fifteen of Matsuri's little friends from kindergarten. Those enthusiastic high notes on that second to last 'birthday' would certainly incapacitate _his_ ears for the next ten minutes.

Matsuri, however, appeared not to notice that her classmates did not sing like the angels that they appeared to be. Sometimes, he added with a wince, as a little boy with blue face-paint tugged violently on a pigtail of the girl to his right. Fierce little buggers. He couldn't remember being that violent or crazy when he was a little tot, but then again, he had certainly made up for that lack in later years…

Naruto raised his disposable camera quickly. Matsuri appeared to have finished her wish deliberating and was ready to blow out the candles. She huffed a deep breath, chose her angle of attack, and let loose amidst the sound of several cameras firing. Naruto lowered his camera and cheered – she'd managed to blow out all six candles with ease and was now giving her treat a small smile (2). She reached with one pudgy hand towards the green masterpiece, intent on taking what was rightfully hers. Before she could reach her target, her Auntie Temari stopped her with a small smile and a gentle grip on her wrist, much to the relief of Matsuri's mother and father. They knew from experience that cake in the hand was cake in the hair, and on the dress, and on the expensive drapes…

Naruto snapped two more pictures in quick succession. The first showed Matsuri's face as Temari cut a large piece from the green sweet. The second, he admitted, was a bit more personal. It showed Gaara, a rare peaceful expression on his pale face as he watched his young niece dig in. Gaara usually hated having his picture taken, and the confusion of the party seemed like a perfect opportunity to do so subtly. He would boast about catching the man on film later, after he'd made a few dozen copies. It would be nice to have a photo of his one-time lover and good friend on his mantle.

Soon enough, the cake was divided thoroughly and each of the little monsters was occupied fully. Except, that is, for the poor little lactose intolerant tike who was torn between pouting and staring woefully at the remaining slices of cake. Naruto sighed. If Gaara had thought to tell him, he could have easily made the recipe with soy milk. But Gaara never really thought about such things, he supposed.

Naruto smiled his thanks as he was passed a piece of the cake he had made earlier. He took a large bite eagerly, making a mental note to bring a piece home to Iruka. He was sure that Iruka would appreciate the little chocolate dolphins, monkeys, and other animals that he had found to decorate the cake. And he had done a good job too, he thought smugly, savoring the moist cake and the creamy fudge he had placed between each layer. It was only three thirty. He had plenty of time to enjoy his cake and the company of exuberant five year-olds and his friends.

Speaking of which, he should really talk to Gaara. He had spoken to him earlier, but that had been about decorating and chocolate, and not about friendship stuff or guy stuff. He missed talking to Gaara, and he hoped that his friend missed talking to him too. They had been friends long before they were lovers, and he longed for the ease of that relationship. However, he knew that Gaara would never reinitiate their close friendship, so any move they made towards becoming close confidantes again would have to come from Naruto.

He placed his empty plate on the dining room table absently, already looking across the room for his red-haired friend. He found the pale green eyes easily as they had already found their way to his own face. He smirked. Maybe Gaara wanted to talk too.

Naruto inhaled and exhaled quickly before pasting a large smile on his face and making his way towards Gaara's corner, unconsciously fingering the yellow slip of paper in his pocket.

* * *

Thirty minutes after entering Sakura's home, Sasuke was finally on his way to Omake. After the thoughtful discussion with Sakura, and many pointed looks from Kakashi, he was able to decide on a 'I'm feeling guilty, so I'm going to apologize belatedly now' gift. It seemed odd to him, but Sakura had been certain. So, here he was, driving towards the idiot's restaurant with a booklet of enough ramen tickets to last him a year.

He'd gotten the tickets at a ramen bar close by to the restaurant. Sakura had said that Naruto had mentioned it by name, so he supposed that it must be his favorite or something. Ichiraku Ramen Bar sure hadn't looked like much when he'd gone in to buy the tickets, but then again, he was certainly no connoisseur of something like ramen. Sasuke wrinkled his nose delicately and avoided looking at the other item on the passenger seat of his car. He still didn't know what had possessed him to buy the idiot flowers. He probably wouldn't even like the yellow roses. There was a large possibility that he'd even take it as an insult. Whatever. If Naruto didn't want them, he could give them to Sakura.

Soon enough, he could see the masonry of the building. Feeling somewhat maniac and oddly excited, Sasuke ran a yellow-turning-red light. Now he could implement the Plan and then everything would be perfect. He turned into the parking lot before parking next to a beat-up convertible that looked all the more debilitated next to his very fine, very shiny BMW. He stepped out smoothly, painting a picture of elegance in his suit and tie from work and his blooming yellow roses. Sasuke thumbed the automatic lock for his car before pocketing the keys and walking towards the entrance.

This could only go well, he assured himself again. He would give the ramen tickets to Naruto, and then the flowers. Naruto would forgive him and then they might talk. And then, maybe Naruto would ask him on a date for ramen with one of the meal tickets and- Wait! That was not part of the Plan. It clearly interfered with point number one and all the reasons that Sasuke had cultivated since this morning. Why had he thought of that?

It was in that confusion that Karin found him. And kindly plucked the roses from his limp grasp.

"Sir is so kind! I can't believe you came down here just to deliver them." What? How had this happened? This was in direct violation of the Plan!

"Wait- look. I think you misunderstood. I need those for somebody- for something else." As the words fell from his lips, he watched Karin's face become stony and her right hand pull something black from her pocket. Ah, her glasses. She put them on her face with a curt motion before thrusting the flowers back at Sasuke.

"Of course." She stared at him, and he glared back, until he realized that he could use her to carry out the Plan.

"Is Naruto here?" he asked as politely as he could manage. Something in her eyes flashed.

"No."

"When will he be here?" he asked, annoyed.

She gave him a smug smile, and a small voice in his mind told him that it might have been better to let her keep the flowers.

"He will not be here. Not for a long time, I bet." Sasuke froze. Did that mean-?

Had he really gotten the idiot fired?

"Oh…" he said dazedly, "…thanks." He turned around slowly before making his way to the door. He felt as if the world had been knocked out from under his feet. Sasuke made his way to his shiny car as a drowning man seeking land, opened the driver's side door, and slumped into the seat behind the wheel wearily. He had failed.

And now, without the success of the Plan, the feelings from that morning had returned. It must, he thought with a scowl, be guilt because he had been unable to make things right. And now, he even had solid proof that he had made things more wrong than he had originally thought. He leaned forward tiredly and rested his forehead on the padded steering wheel. After, of course, he made sure that the dark windows of his car had been rolled up high enough to prohibit passing pedestrians from paying witness. Now what to do. He couldn't go back to Sakura's. No. That was a lie. He _wouldn't _go back to Sakura's. Kakashi was probably still there and they were probably still doing… things… to each other. His nose wrinkled in disgust, even in his moment of despondency. Right, so no relaxing at Sakura's. He could go home, he supposed, but his home was so empty. There would be nothing there to distract himself from his failure. He needed to be around people.

Something was poking unhappily at his spleen, he realized with a start. He moved one hand to investigate, head still relaxed on the steering wheel of his car, and found… paper? He pulled the item eyelevel, and then fought a grimace. Right. The ramen tickets from the failed plan. Sasuke smiled crookedly. How was he going to use three fucking hundred non-refundable ramen tickets?

He leaned back onto the leather seat of his car, still looking at the tickets. Well, he supposed, he might as well start now. It would sure as hell beat going back home or going to Sakura's when Kakashi was there. With that decided, he keyed the ignition lazily and adjusted the car to 'drive.'

Fifteen minutes later, Sasuke found himself pulling into the parking lot of Ichiraku's Ramen. It had not really changed since he had been there last, all of forty-five minutes ago. It was a quaint place, the only detail making it noticeable in the midst of similar grey-brown bricked buildings was a red roof and red doors. Well, that and the delicious aroma wafting from those red doors, Sasuke conceded.

He locked his car carefully before strolling into the restaurant unhurried. Only the slightly crumpled wad of brown paper clutched in his right hand signified that anything was out of the ordinary. With his left hand, he smoothed flawless hair carefully. If his mother had been there, she would have noticed it for the composure tactic he had developed as a small child. She had likened him to a small black cat, much to his displeasure.

As he entered the brightly lit restaurant, a bell chimed cheerily on the door. The line had grown since he had been there last – eight patrons stood idly in line waiting for the opportunity to order. He stopped behind the old man in the very back of the line before turning his eyes to the menu above the counter. This really was a step down from his usual culinary haunts, he thought drearily. If only his prestigious line of uncles and aunts could see him now. The thought made him smile.

Even his crazy cousin Obito would be speechless if he saw Sasuke there. However, Obito's inability to form words would probably stem from sheer surprise that Sasuke would lower himself to eat ramen with strangers and _germs_. On the other hand, his high class aunts and uncles would be speechless out of rage that an Uchiha would eat at a common ramen bar. His father would… his mother… He shook his head. No. Now was not the time to think about his parents. He physically removed those thoughts from his mind and instead focused all his attentions on the menu.

Did he _really_ want the pork ramen? Or should he go for the miso ramen? As he had said to Sakura that night at Omake, it was pretty difficult to harm miso. He squinted up at the yellow sign unconsciously. Maybe he could have extra green onions in the pork… Yes, that would do. He tilted his head downwards once more to be on eye-level with the rest of the people in the restaurant. Except for, he thought with a twitch, the little brat standing behind him who had taken a liking to poking the back of his knees. To his relief, the queue had shortened dramatically. Only the man in front of him had to order and then it would be his turn.

Soon enough, the old man finished his order and Sasuke found himself directly in front of the register. The cashier, a pretty young girl in the standard white restaurant uniform, gave him a dimpled smile. She adjusted her silly white hat nervously with a small blush after getting a good look at Sasuke. Meanwhile, he hardly noticed. Instead, without any niceties, he asked for his order.

"I would like a number seven. Can you add extra green onions to that?" She nodded eagerly, clever fingers typing quickly on the machine.

"Thank you," he grunted. She, however, did not seem to mind his manners, or lack there of. Instead of the reprimand or the eye-roll that Sakura might have rewarded him with, the girl in front of him simply flushed gently and toyed with her hair. Sasuke sighed inwardly. Girls.

"That'll be $6.83 with tax, Sir. That is, unless I can offer you something else?" Sasuke's left eyebrow rose unbidden and the girl seemed to realize that her question had sounded more like a proposition than anything else. She blushed hotly.

"T-to eat! W-would you like something else t-to eat!" she stammered in a rush. She ducked her head and allowed the thick hair of her bangs to cover her red cheeks. He sighed again. He could just see Sakura laughing on her couch tomorrow after hearing about this escapade. Then again, maybe she would be doing something _else_ on that couch… He paled and made a mental note to sit on the uncomfortable chair during his next visit.

"No, thank you." She handled the rest of the process easily. However, she would not meet his dark eyes – even when handing him his receipt and tag bearing the number twelve.

"Please place your tag on the table of your choice. A server will bring your order around quickly. Please pay at the line to your right when you finish," she mumbled quietly. He nodded his thanks and made his way over to a small table by the window, eyes on his receipt. He was thankful to see that she had indeed added the extra onions. In her infatuation and embarrassment, he worried that she might have forgotten. Sasuke placed the tag at the end of the table before seating himself on the chair to his left. This placed his back towards the majority of the other customers, and his gaze on the red doors.

He amused himself by watching the people entering the small restaurant. Although it did not have a greatly extended menu, it appeared to be well loved. The people entering the eatery did so with a smile, as if they were coming home. He had expected the place to cater mainly to a younger crowd, but he saw a few elderly men and women, and quite a few couples with children.

Sasuke found his eyes subconsciously drifting to those youngsters and their parents. There was a time when he had imagined being a father and having children, but those dreams were long past and bulldozed by his aspirations in business. Children impeded work and success and wealth. They were not dreams, they impaired them. Or, at least that's what he told himself.

Besides, he was single. As in long-term single. He had never had a long term relationship before. Sure, he dated in the past. He had even had a few - admittedly miserable – one night stands. However, none of those relationships had ever led to fruition. He had yet to meet someone that could catch his interest and sustain it. Sex was one thing. Compatibility was another. There was no way that he could raise a child on his own, and that was that.

Idly, he opened the packet of chopsticks on his table. His food should arrive soon, and then he could have a reprieve from thoughts of relationships. He heard enough of that sort of thing from Sakura. He looked quickly towards the bar in hopes of seeing a server coming his way, and then again at the line when he spotted no such person. A new family had joined the line – a father and his son. The boy appeared to be an energetic member of the seven year-old population. He was jumping around his father eagerly, pointing at the different pictures of ramen on display and the pretty lantern-styled lights overhead. His father, however, did not seem to notice his son's antics. He was talking on a headset cell-phone similar to the model Sasuke's secretary had bought for him last week. Expensive-looking sunglasses were hooked onto the man's silk tie, and he tapped on them impatiently with the fingers of his left hand. A leather briefcase was clutched in the man's right hand, making it apparent that he had come straight from work. The pair would be waiting in line for a long time, Sasuke presumed after counting the number of people ahead of them.

As he watched the little red-headed boy scamper around the black-suited figure of his father, something inside of Sasuke twanged unpleasantly. He turned his eyes away from the family in line and to the kitchen doors. Where was his food anyways? As if by magic, the metal doors next to the register opened at his thought and a woman server stepped out quickly. To his relief, he saw a tag with the number twelve hanging off of the side of the tray. He picked up the tag on his table, ready to hold it up to allow her to see the number easily- and froze.

Had he just heard what he thought he'd heard? He strained his ears against the din of the restaurant, searching. There-

"-and then I told Kiba, what do you mean you can't find your cousin's tarantula? I put it in your bed for safe-keeping last night!" The loud statement was followed by rich laughter from both a male and a female. Sasuke hardly noticed. As if possessed or pulled by an invisible magnet, his head turned slowly in the direction of that voice he had already come to memorize.

Naruto. The blonde was smiling broadly at his companion, a young woman that Sasuke recognized vaguely from the dating agency. Naruto was on a date. The thought sobered him from his mindless staring quickly and he snapped his head towards the line once more.

Shit. He had to get out of this place immediately – he could _not_ let Naruto see him. A hasty glance to his right proved disappointing; his server was speaking idly to a handsome young man and seemed to have forgotten that she was working. Damn it. He struggled against the urge to jump out of his chair and take his meal from his wayward waitress. He gripped his seat tightly with both hands in an effort to rein in such urges. But oh, how he wanted to.

He did not want to think about what would happen if Naruto saw him. At worst, he would probably accuse Sasuke of stalking him. At best, he would get into an argument. Especially considering that Naruto was on a _date_.

He twisted around on his chair impatiently. It would be best just to ask for his food as takeaway and then pay up front. That way he could get his food and get out without causing trouble. Even if he wanted to talk to Naruto, now would definitely be a wrong time if there ever was one. In his rush to get to Omake, Sasuke had forgotten to bring any cash with him that day. Therefore, he needed to use one of the gift certificates that he had originally bought for Naruto. Also, the blonde, as previously noted, was on a date. He would probably assume that Sasuke was attempting to sabotage his evening with the other blonde. And, Sasuke thought grudgingly, he might be tempted to do just that if given the opportunity.

It was best to stay away. He would mind his own business, bustle out of this place, and go home. There, in the safety of his living room, he could develop another plan of action to rid himself of thoughts of Naruto. A better plan. One that did not involve awkward situations and cowering in one's chair at a ramen bar. He had gone through the points just that morning! They all still applied as reasons why he should not approach Naruto with designs romantic or otherwise. Well, he conceded, the point about Sakura was pretty dead now, but the others remained intact. Except, he thought wryly, the point about never seeing Naruto again because that was obviously not happening as sense would predict. Damn it all.

His inward mutterings were interrupted by the belated appearance of his server. She smiled at him pleasantly.

"Order number twelve?" she asked. He nodded curtly, clenching his teeth together to prevent the rude lecture on tardiness that threatened to escape. Normally, he would let the harsh scolding flow freely. Today, however, he needed the girl's help in order to leave in a timely fashion. He knew that women did not like to be scolded in public and that she would most likely delay his take-away container out of spite. Or maybe spit in his ramen, he thought with a grimace. No, no long reprimands today. Instead, he composed his face quickly and he turned to her with a small smile.

"That would be me, Sasuke. And you would be…?" Sasuke hoped that his manners were appropriate and not too sleazy. It wouldn't do if she were to hit him with something. With Sasuke's luck, Naruto would probably leap to her honor and the argument would escalate to new heights.

"Ayame. I'm Mika's sister – she's at the register," she told him shyly. Sasuke nodded thoughtfully and steeled himself for his next line.

"You mean they don't just call you 'beautiful'?" Sasuke said with the same nice, if pained, smile. He nearly gagged. But the blush on her face told him that she was eating it up. She put his tray on the table and wiped her hands on her apron while stammering inanely. His smile grew more confident in the face of the nervous gestures. Success. Now to place the favor delicately.

"Ayame, I am very sorry to cause you trouble, but I need a favor from you. I was wondering if I could bring this home instead of simply eating it here. As I was waiting, I suddenly began to feel ill. Now, I think that I really should get home to bed to cure this- this _illness_ of mine." Well, that was true enough. His thoughts of Naruto were indeed like some sort of rabid virus that refused to let go of his mind.

"Certainly, Sir! Why don't you just come to the front counter with your receipt? I'll have your leftovers ready for you by the time you finish paying," she said eagerly.

"Thank you. I will be sure to return to this establishment soon after I regain my health – the service here really is fantastic," he lied smoothly. She beamed at him and took the tray once more into her hands before bustling into the kitchens. Sasuke heaved a sigh of relief before allowing himself to smirk. That had been almost _too_ easy. Now all he had to do was pay and take his food and he was out of here.

He rose quickly from his seat and made his way to the line for those that needed to pay for their meals. He breathed deeply, counting each intake and outtake of breath. He refused to appear nervous about being in a ramen bar. Refused to admit he was nervous that any minute, Naruto might look up and see him in line.

Despite his assurances, Sasuke could not help but to look at his watch frequently. He did not do it so often as to give the appearance of having a nervous twitch, but his usual outward calm and stoic demeanor was certainly spoiled. Later on, he would scold himself for showing such a hurried appearance.

Time seemed to drag on slowly, giving annoying clarity to the saying 'a watched pot never boils.' He looked at his watch again. Great. It had been a whole thirty-one seconds since the last time he had looked. He dropped his wrist and resisted the compulsion to look at it again immediately after. He still had quite a wait. Five patrons stood patiently in front of him. None of them, he noticed dryly, were exhibiting the same ticks of impatience that he was.

Well, maybe he was being overly ridiculous. Naruto was probably still eating happily. If he and his date- his _friend_- if they had arrived at the exact moment that he had left after purchasing the ramen coupons earlier, they could have only been at the restaurant for about fifty-five minutes tops. He had waited for his meal for only fifteen minutes after all. Fifty-five minutes was certainly not long enough for a proper discussion, he thought decisively. He ignored the little voice in the back of his mind that pointed out that Naruto and the girl might have plans after ramen and would therefore need to eat fast. No. Naruto must still be eating happily with that obnoxiously handsome smile on his face.

As if to assure himself of this fact, Sasuke turned around slowly in line to face Naruto's table. Or what he thought was Naruto's table. But he could not really be sure because Naruto was no longer sitting at said table.

Instead, Naruto was staring at him with wide blue eyes from his position directly behind Sasuke in line. Sasuke felt his heart jump.

Well, shit.

* * *

What the _hell_ was the dating agency bastard doing here? On this day? At this hour? How had Naruto been unable to recognize that dumb haircut and that stiff posture?

"Why are you here? Are you- are you _stalking _me?" Naruto asked loudly before he could check himself. He met the reproachful stares of the other people in line with a small blush. It wasn't like it really would matter what they thought anyways. Ino was in the ladies' room and would miss his embarrassing slip. Even if she had heard, it wasn't as if they were serious or anything. They were both just scouting around for their match – he knew that she had a date with someone else tomorrow, and he hoped to have another date with Sakura in the future too. If things went well tonight at the Mariner's game with Ino, they might have a repeat date. If they both were unable to feel any romantic chemistry, then they might just hang out as friends afterwards.

"No, idiot. I am not following you or something equally inane. I am- was eating, and now I am paying. If you'll excuse me…" With that, Sasuke turned forward once more. Naruto gaped, insulted. How dare he turn his back on Naruto!

"Hey!" he growled, taking a firm grip on the man's shoulder and tugging hard in order to spin him around.

"I was talking to you!" he said loudly once he managed to turn Sasuke around to meet him. The other man looked irritated and angry. Good, Naruto thought vindictively.

"And you finished. We are no longer talking. Do you really have more to say?" Sasuke said in a low voice, conscious of the prying ears around them. Naruto opened his mouth to say the operative 'of course!' but for the life of him, he could not think of what he wanted to say next.

"Um…" he said dumbly.

"I thought so. Now if you'll let me wait in line in peace?" Naruto growled as the bastard smirked and moved to turn around again. Naruto grabbed his elbow and forced Sasuke to face him once more.

"What is it, moron?" the other said impatiently. Naruto smirked at the small loss of composure before frowning at the term 'moron.' Sasuke was scowling at him angrily and tugging at Naruto's grip in jerky movements.

"Look, I'm sorry, okay? I didn't know that you worked there. Can you let go now?" Sasuke blurted quickly. Naruto blinked at him. What?

"What are you talking about? What are you apologizing for?" Naruto queried, eyebrows scrunched together in confusion.

"For getting you fired! I apologize. I did not intend for that to happen. I just-" Naruto rocked back on his feet. What was happening here? Sasuke was digging into one pocket with quick fingers.

"Look. Here- just, just take these. Okay? I'm- I'm sorry." With that, Sasuke shoved a packet of brown tickets into Naruto's chest. Naruto caught them on reflex and looked down at them slowly. He missed Sasuke's torn expression and the way that he clenched his fists into his pockets.

Free ramen tickets. The bastard had bought him free ramen tickets. Because he thought that he had hurt Naruto's employed status. Whoa. He shuffled through the packet as if in a daze. There were enough tickets in there to last him a year.

But something stood up as a beacon within his ramen-induced thoughts. Why was Sasuke carrying them now? And why did he think that Naruto was fired? Still fingering the brown tickets with worshipful touches, Naruto brought his eyes to Sasuke's face.

"Why did- I mean, I haven't been fired," he said numbly. Sasuke's face showed a variety of emotions very quickly before settling on minute confusion.

"Yes, you are. I went to Omake earlier to give you those," he gestured at the tickets in Naruto's hands before continuing, "because I thought that I must have made trouble for you. But you weren't there. And that Karin girl was. And she told me that-" Naruto groaned out loud and stopped Sasuke's confession by raising one hand in the universal symbol for 'go no further.'

"Wait, wait, wait. Stop. Karin? As in the creepy waitress with choppy red hair and glasses? Has a strange way of looking at people?" Naruto asked quickly.

"Yes," Sasuke answered cautiously.

"Ugh! She hates me! She probably misled you on purpose. Especially if you insulted her or something," Naruto said knowingly. Sasuke coughed into his hand and Naruto smirked. Of course. Sasuke probably couldn't be charming if his life depended on it.

"Oh…" Sasuke answered slowly.

"Yeah…" Naruto said, looking away. He suddenly felt very awkward. He was thankful for the gift certificates, but he felt strange taking them from someone like Sasuke. Food was food, and ramen was freaking awesome, but he did not want to accept the free certificates only to have Sasuke ask for something in return. He looked down at them sadly and, resisting the urge to physically kiss them goodbye, reached forward and placed them in Sasuke's pocket.

"Thanks. It's, um, kind of you to give these to me. But I can't accept them. I don't need them." Naruto hardened his resolve. Sasuke had only offered them out of pity after all. He didn't need pity. If the bastard wanted to apologize he should have talked to Ibiki and made sure that everything was all right. And what was this? Why had he waited so long to apologize to Naruto?

"What? I- never mind. Why won't you take them? You want them, don't you?" Sasuke looked both surprised and a touch confused as he asked Naruto his questions. He took the certificates from his pocket slowly.

"N-no," Naruto stuttered. It was hard to lie directly to someone's face, he thought absently. Especially when said lie was as large as that one. To his dismay, Sasuke did not seem to buy his lie and sneered at him openly.

"No?" Sasuke asked with false curiosity. He tapped his lips with the tickets as though deep in thought.

"How odd…" Sasuke said slowly. He lifted the tickets from his lips and brought them slowly to his right elbow. They rested there for a moment before being transferred to the center of his chest. From there, they moved to Sasuke's collar. Then to his lips once more. Naruto caught sight of the smirk that rested on those nice lips and his gaze jumped to mocking eyes. Naruto flushed. Apparently the bastard had noticed that Naruto's stare had followed the path of the certificates unblinkingly.

"Jerk," Naruto muttered. He kept his gaze firmly on the other's eyes, but his ears still burned.

"Look, why don't you just take them? You obviously don't want them because they're from me, for whatever reason. You should just take them. There is no way that I'll be able to eat all of them. And you seem to _really _enjoy your ramen. Sakura said-" Sasuke bit off the rest of what he was going to say, but it was too late. Naruto's eyes widened.

"Sakura? You asked _Sakura_ for advice on what to get me?" Naruto looked expectantly at Sasuke, but Sasuke seemed unwilling to respond. Naruto's mind was reeling. No wonder Sasuke had chosen this particular place – he had investigated. Naruto had trouble matching the deed with the person he knew from 'Luck of the Draw'. How-?

"Look. It doesn't mean anything. Leave Sakura out of this. I was just feeling guilty about getting you in trouble and needed something to make it better." Naruto cringed inwardly. Well, that's where the dating agency bastard had escaped to. But he couldn't help but think that this Sasuke character was like one of those yappy lapdogs – all bark. The light dusting of a blush on the man's cheekbones certainly added to that image. Still… what Sasuke had said only added to Naruto's ire – the act did indeed have a selfish root.

"I don't want them," he protested loudly. He crossed his arms over his chest and stood strong. Sasuke also stood stiffly and seemed to be taking deep breaths in and out.

"Take them!" he argued again through clenched teeth. He shoved the packet at Naruto fiercely. Naruto, however, slapped his hand away before crossing his arms once again.

"No. I don't want anything from you," Naruto said crossly. He winced internally shortly after. He may not like Sasuke very much, but there was no need to be mean. He didn't want to sink to that level, after all. He broke his staring contest with Sasuke to look for Ino in vain – it appeared that she was still in the ladies room. Women. He turned back to Sasuke at the sound of a sigh coming from the other man.

"I know. I know you don't like me and I know that you don't trust me because of some inane reasons that you've developed over the past-"

"Inane reasons? You- you bastard! You're arrogant and selfish – why the hell should I trust you? I don't even know you," he argued. Sasuke scowled.

"Exactly. You don't even know me. Think about that for a minute, Naruto. You're judging me on a twenty minute dating session. You don't know anything." He said it all in a steely voice. Naruto blinked at him slowly. He was right. They _were_ strangers to each other. But wait-

"Don't come off as high and mighty with me, Sasuke! You did the same exact thing in our dating session! As soon as I sat down you decided that it would be okay to be mean and rude. I'm surprised that you wanted my card. It seemed as though you disliked me from the moment I reached your table. So don't pretend that you're the king of higher thinking!"

"I was just-" Sasuke's retort was cut off by the impatient bark of the girl behind the counter.

"Sir! I've called you three times already! Would you please step up to the register!" Sasuke seemed to jump a little and turned around. Naruto started in a similar manner and watched the other man pay for his meal with one of the certificates. He finished the process quickly and turned to Naruto with a stubborn expression on his face and the brown gift certificates in one outstretched hand.

"Take them," he said in a quiet voice.

"No," Naruto replied snippily. He knew that he was being stubborn, but he also couldn't find it in him to back down. Something about Sasuke put him on edge. Sasuke reminded him of Gaara somewhat – something that he was not entirely sure that he liked.

"Please." Naruto jerked at the word from the other's mouth. He hadn't expected Sasuke to ever sound so pleading or to push the issue this far. Nonetheless, he opened his mouth to repeat his earlier refusal.

However, someone else beat him to it.

* * *

"No!" The word was shrieked loudly to Sasuke's left. The idiot seemed about to say a similar sentiment, but it had not come from him. The look of surprise and the 'oh' shape on the other's lips seemed to add potency to that fact.

He looked calmly to the direction that the voice had come from and almost dropped the gift certificates in surprise. It was the same red-headed boy from before. Two plastic cups lay at the boy's feet and a sickly mixture of green and brown liquid shimmered dully on the floor. His father stood in front of him, stiff-backed and red-faced. His abominable silver cell-phone was clutched in a white-knuckled grip as he stared down at his son with a frown. It took Sasuke all of two point five seconds to realize what must have happened, and he marveled that he had not heard the crash over his own argument with Naruto.

"Gregory! Go find some napkins and clean this up immediately. If you do not get started quickly, I'll be forced to tell your mother about this!" the man said sternly.

"I will not have you making a scene!" Sasuke blanched visibly.

All of the sudden, he was a young child once again. He had heard that phrase countless times; in the house, at the park, at the store, at _restaurants_. Mother, Father, Aunts and Uncles had all been so sure that he would fail to present himself in public. They had watched him continuously. Until that is, that last day. The day in which they had stopped watching him and the last day that he heard that phrase from either of his parents. The day he had found his brother hanging from the ceiling beams in his room.

Sasuke remembered the day perfectly except for the fact that everything was strangely black and white. He had been eleven that year. It had been spring- April, and the Sakura blossoms had begun to bloom at their home in Kyoto. He had also started the school year at that expensive private school that had impressed his father. It was an hour away, but his mother had found a capable carpool partner and Sasuke was saved from the bus or other modes of transportation. Not that his mother would have ever allowed that.

He had hated that school. Not because of the other children or the teachers or the school itself, really. No, he had hated that school because the travel time detracted from the time he could spend with his brother at home. Itachi… It had been a long while since he had thought about that name.

He had been awed by his brother. Itachi had been sixteen and brilliant – the top of his kendo club at school and a fantastic student. His parents had always been so proud. They had shown off their eldest son at every occasion, often leaving Sasuke's own elementary achievements in the dust. He hadn't minded, really. He had always thought that Itachi deserved the attention and the spotlight.

Itachi had thought otherwise. He had been disgusted by his role as a family achievement, by the thought that his greatness was only an asset to the family as a whole and not towards his own individual success. He had also hated how they had treated Sasuke. Sasuke had always been watched, but never loved with the same devotion that Itachi experienced as the first-born. Itachi cared for his brother, but Sasuke also seemed to irritate him. Sasuke accepted his praise blindly and did not seek the respect of others. He was weak – he did not demand the attention of their parents or of his own peers.

That fateful morning, Itachi had smiled at him over breakfast. Sasuke had smiled back innocently before digging into his breakfast. He had been unaware of the thoughtful stare that rested on his form.

"Sasuke, when you come home from school I will have a present ready for you," Itachi had said calmly.

"Really? What is it?" he had asked in response, trying to hide his eagerness. Itachi had always given the best presents. His parents and aunts and uncles all gave him stupid things like new clothes or notebooks for school. Itachi gave him books on kendo or maps or cool pictures of famous places that he could place around his room.

"Something that will make you stronger. That will make mother and father see you more clearly," his brother had replied cryptically. He then turned to his own breakfast, signaling to Sasuke that their conversation was over.

Sasuke had been so excited, so eager to find his present. He had hardly been able to concentrate in school that day. When he arrived home from school, he had shucked off his shoes and dropped his bag at the door before dashing to Itachi's room in record time. He had flung open the door, ready to see his brother, and screamed.

He had run blindly from the sight, eyes wild and mouth open as he gasped for air painfully. He would find his father. His father would be home, in the conference room. He could- he _would_ help. He would fix Itachi. Would make it better.

He had rushed into the conference room and yelled his father's name loudly. Fugaku Uchiha had stared at him blankly before scowling fiercely. He then excused himself to the other gentlemen in the room, older men dressed impeccably in fine suits, and made his way stiffly to his youngest son. Fugaku had dragged him out of the room with a tight grip on his wrist, furious. Once they were out of sight, Sasuke attempted to tell his news. His father, however, did not wait. He had hit him. Hard. And then he had said those infamous words.

"You are making a scene!" He then proceeded to tell Sasuke how very important those clients were and what Sasuke had ruined. He had felt like a fish on dry land – gasping for breath that refused to come. In his panic, he passed out.

He woke much later that evening to the sound of his mother crying. Curled up on his bed where someone had placed him, he had joined her in his room with wracking sobs. No one had come that night to comfort him. Or the next night. Or the next.

His parents had faded after that day. Nothing was important anymore. Sasuke still worked hard, still did all he could to gain their approval, but nothing broke the barrier of their despair. Years later, he would bitterly conclude that Itachi's grand plan was a complete failure; his parents did not notice him any more than they did when Itachi was alive. If anything, they seemed to see him less.

"…suke? Sasuke?" He felt a familiar voice tug at his conscious and pull him out of his reverie.

"Sasuke?" the voice said again, louder. This time, it was accompanied by a gentle push on his shoulder. He blinked languidly, dispelling the nightmares of his past and the glaze that had taken hold of his eyes. Feeling as though he had just taken a great journey, he glanced around wearily. Right. He was in Seattle. United States. The country that his family had moved to in order to escape memories of Itachi. Not Kyoto.

He was in the ramen bar. Right. And the person with the warm voice was Naruto, the stubborn idiot that plagued his thoughts as relentlessly as Itachi used to. Naruto was looking at him with a concerned expression, eyes very blue. He gathered his scattered thoughts quickly in preparation for whatever question the blonde wanted to ask him – he could see one blooming in those eyes. What was going on again?

"Sasuke? Are you- are you okay? You look lost…"

"I'm-" he began in a steady voice, but before he could continue, their conversation was once again interrupted by the same source that had induced his trip to the past.

"No! Don't. I'm sorry, Papa. Please don't be mad!" Sasuke turned his head towards the sound once again. Sure enough, the little red-head was screaming and sobbing at his father's feet. The imposing man appeared to be losing his patience. The boy was now trying to wipe away the spilled drinks ineffectively. He needed more paper towels – the ones he was using were soaked. The boy was making a bigger puddle than there had been originally. As Sasuke watched, the boy accidentally slopped some of the sticky concoction onto his father's leather shoes.

"Gregory! Look what you've done! Have you any idea how much those shoes cost? Why, I should-" With that, the man stopped his tirade and lifted one hand in the gesture of a strike.

Before he could follow through with the motion, Sasuke was there. Quick as a flash, he caught the man's wrist in a piercing grip that he knew would bruise later on. He glared at the man with cold dark eyes.

"You will not hit your boy," he said stiffly. The man quavered visibly in the face of Sasuke's expression. Most business men in the Seattle district knew his face. It was an asset in some instances. Installing fear into the heart of this asshole was one such instance.

"I was just-" the man began weakly.

"Giving the boy some discipline? I bet. I suggest you forget such an idea. Why don't you just help your son with the drinks there and then wait for your food like a good patron? Maybe I won't have my secretary investigate your place in your firm," he said, gesturing at the man's briefcase where the name of his firm was labeled in white bold lettering. The man paled.

"Y-yes Sir." Sasuke nodded once and released the man's wrist. He maintained eye contact for a long moment before breaking it and pushing towards the door. He stopped briefly to shove the certificates at a stupefied Naruto before continuing quickly onwards. He needed to get out of there. It was so unlike him to cause a scene like that. He wondered at himself as he slipped around open-mouthed patrons on his way to the exit. Perhaps the action had been purely selfish; a vindictive revenge on parents similar to his own. It probably was, he though masochistically.

He slammed his way through the red doors and made his way quickly towards his car. There was no reason to linger, after all.

"Bast- Sasuke, wait!" He didn't need to glance back to know it was Naruto. The blonde probably wanted to either yell at him some more or to ask him questions. He would put his money on the former, but he was really in no mood to test the possibilities in an actual conversation with Naruto. He quickened his pace.

"Hey! Sasuke, stop walking!" A hand grabbed his elbow and once again he was twirled around to face those blue eyes. He felt his temper boiling. This was too much. He could not handle this on top of everything else today.

"What, Naruto, what? What do you _need_ to tell me right now? Is there something else that you absolutely need to critique about my character? What is it? Did I not satisfy you standards yet again?" he said loudly. Naruto appeared a bit bemused at his reaction and reached up to scratch the back of his head with one hand.

"Um, no. That is- no. You, um, you forgot your leftovers in there." Sasuke could feel the burn in his cheeks. Oh. Naruto held a brown bag out to him in one hand.

He reached out to accept his troublesome ramen. Naruto, however, would not release his own grip on the bag. Sasuke tugged lightly on the bag, but it would not budge. He looked upwards to say something snide to Naruto about his love of ramen, but Sasuke stopped abruptly at the look on the other's face.

Naruto was looking at him searchingly. Eyebrows drawn together tightly, he was eyeing Sasuke as if he could see into his soul. The sentiment made Sasuke vaguely uncomfortable and he fought the urge to fidget. Eventually, the blonde released the bag and Sasuke's arm swung back to his side unimpeded.

"I hope I don't regret this…" the blonde mumbled. Sasuke frowned, confused.

"You're going to regret giving me my leftovers?"

"What? Oh. No…" Naruto trailed off slowly. He shook his head once and directed his gaze to the pavement under his feet. Sasuke noticed that the tops of his ears were turning a nice red.

"Look, I'll- er, I'll see you around okay?" Naruto said quickly, eyes darting up towards Sasuke's face. He seemed to be searching for some sort of answer, so Sasuke decided to play along.

"…yeah." In his dreams. What was Naruto thinking? See him again – what?

Naruto nodded and turned to walk quickly back towards the restaurant. Sasuke shook his head. What an odd person. He turned toward his car, pulling his keys from a pocket and pushing the automatic lock button in one movement. As he moved to grasp the handle of the car door, Naruto's voice stopped him again.

"Hey, Sasuke!" Naruto was nearly at the doors of the restaurant. He was wearing an odd smile – as if he was nervous or something similar. Strange…

"That was really cool." Sasuke stared at him blankly. Didn't all cars have automatic locks in the modern age?

"You know. What you did in there." Oh. Not the locks then. That made more sense.

"It was- it was really cool. Kinda scary and all, but cool." With that, the blonde gave him a final wave and strolled into the restaurant once again. Sasuke stood frozen by the car. Naruto had smiled – at _him_. And complimented him. And been vaguely obscure. He shook his head hopelessly and slid into his car, placing his leftovers on the passenger seat next to the slightly wilted roses.

He took the long way home that night. As such, he did not look into the takeaway bag for another twenty-five minutes. He was able to ride home with a relatively clear mind and steady heart, blissfully unconscious of the orange card in the paper bag that would later cause him much distress.

For on that simple orange card was a phone number and the name 'Naruto.' And written on the back were the simple words, "We should talk sometime. Call me."

The consequences of those words, however, would be anything but simple.

* * *

(1) Abiki is the Japanese name for a type of tsunami (more information at Wikipedia). I thought that the metaphor was amusing :).

(2) Yes, I know that I said that she was turning five. The sixth candle is for luck – I have no idea if people do this outside of my own home, but it is a tradition that I like, so I decided to share it with Matsuri. Also – I know that she isn't five in the anime/manga. However, I really didn't want to think about how to give her precocious pre-teen dialog :).

* * *

Thanks for reading (and another thank you to the awesome beta)! I hope you all tell me what you think.

I have a feeling that the next chapter is what people are really waiting for grin. In the meantime, take care!

- FP


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